Sweet Potato Poppers are small in size and big on flavor. A combination of herby, savory, and sweet, they delight the taste buds. Poppers make an ideal appetizer—fun to pass around at a gathering of friends.
Serves 6
6 very small yams, peeled to same size
¼ cup crumbled blue cheese or feta cheese
½ tsp fresh rosemary, minced
1 tsp (5 ml) fresh thyme, minced
3 fresh sage leaves, minced
1 clove garlic, minced
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste
3–4 oz (113.4 g) prosciutto
1 Tbsp (15 ml) extra-virgin oil
- Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Peel yams until they are sized for three or four bites each and the same size for even cooking. Save the peelings for another use. Place the yams in a large saucepan, cover with water. Salt water liberally and bring to boil. Parboil yams for 5 minutes or until knife pierces with slight resistance. Potatoes will not be cooked completely but will finish cooking in the oven. Drain and cool.
- Meanwhile, in small bowl, combine cheese, herbs, garlic, salt, and pepper. Mash with a fork until fully incorporated. Taste and adjust seasonings. Set aside.
- Halve the yams. Using a melon ball, scoop out a shallow trough 1-inch long down the middle of each half. Fill with 1 teaspoon (5 ml) of cheese-herb mixture. Place the top half over bottom. Gently place the halves together so the stuffing doesn’t seep out when baked.
- Wrap each stuffed yam tightly with thinly sliced prosciutto, working carefully so the prosciutto doesn’t rip. Place the poppers on a sheet pan lined with aluminum foil and drizzle with oil. Cook poppers for 10 minutes, then turn 1/4. Cook for another 15 minutes, turning 1/4 again. Repeat until all sides are crisp, browned, and easily pierced with fork. Serve warm.
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Sweet potato poppers are bite-sized stuffed yam halves wrapped in prosciutto and roasted until the edges crisp and the cheese melts. A filling of blue cheese or feta with rosemary, thyme, and sage hides inside like a little savory secret. They disappear from the tray in minutes, so make the full batch.
Pro Tips
- Parboil the yams just until a knife meets slight resistance. They finish in the oven — fully boiled at this stage and the halves collapse when you stuff them.
- Peel the yams down to similar bite-sized pieces so every popper cooks in the same time and one is never harder than its neighbor.
- Wrap each stuffed half tightly with the prosciutto. The wrap holds the two halves together and bastes the yam as it crisps.
- Turn the poppers a quarter turn every ten minutes. Four turns give you crisp prosciutto on every side instead of one pale strip.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can I make sweet potato poppers ahead of time?
Assemble and wrap them up to a day ahead, refrigerate on the sheet pan, then drizzle with oil and roast when guests arrive. Add a minute or two to the bake since they start cold.
Blue cheese or feta — which is better?
Blue cheese gives a bolder, funkier bite that stands up to the prosciutto; feta is milder and saltier and is the safer crowd-pleaser. Both melt beautifully into the yam.
Can I use bacon instead of prosciutto?
Yes, but par-cook the bacon slightly first. Prosciutto crisps in the oven in the time the yam needs; raw bacon needs a head start to catch up.
Recipe Card
Ingredients
Method
- Preheat oven to 375 degrees.
- Peel yams until they are sized for three or four bites each and the same size for even cooking. Save the peelings for another use.
- Place the yams in a large saucepan, cover with water. Salt water liberally and bring to boil. Parboil yams for 5 minutes or until knife pierces with slight resistance. Potatoes will not be cooked completely but will finish cooking in the oven.
- Drain and cool.
- Meanwhile, in small bowl, combine cheese, herbs, garlic, salt, and pepper. Mash with a fork until fully incorporated.
- Taste and adjust seasonings.
- Set aside.
- Wrap each stuffed yam tightly with thinly sliced prosciutto, working carefully so the prosciutto doesn’t rip.
- Place the poppers on a sheet pan lined with aluminum foil and drizzle with oil.
- Cook poppers for 10 minutes, then turn 1/4.
- Cook for another 15 minutes, turning 1/4 again.
- Repeat until all sides are crisp, browned, and easily pierced with fork.
- Serve warm.
