Twice-Baked Sweet Potatoes with Ricotta

With no marshmallows in sight, these potatoes are still sweet and creamy, thanks to ricotta and brown sugar. Twice-Baked Sweet Potatoes With Ricotta provide 20 percent of the calcium you need each day.

Ingredients

3 medium sweet potatoes
(2 to 2 1/2 pounds)
1 teaspoon olive oil
2 shallots, finely chopped
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon pepper
1/2 cup fat-free ricotta cheese
1/4 teaspoon ground ginger
1 tablespoon brown sugar
1/4 cup freshly grated Parmesan
cheese (plus more for garnish)
2 1/2 tablespoons chopped fresh sage
leaves (plus more for garnish)

Directions

1. Heat oven to 400*F. Pierce potatoes with a fork several times and place on a foil-lined baking sheet. Bake until they're soft when pierced with a knife, about 1 hour.

2. Remove and let cool about 20 minutes. Meanwhile, heat olive oil in a small nonstick skillet and add shallots. Cook until soft and just browning. Transfer to a bowl and set aside.

3. When cool enough to handle, cut potatoes in half, lengthwise. Use a spoon or melon baller to scoop out the flesh, leaving inch around the skin edges for stability.

4. Put all potato flesh into the bowl of a food processor or a blender and process until just smooth, about 20 seconds. (If using a blender, stop occasionally to scrape down the sides.) Add salt, pepper, ricotta, ginger, and brown sugar, and puree until smooth.

5. With a spoon, stir in Parmesan cheese, sage, and cooked shallots. Spoon puree into potato shells, or put the mixture into a large zipper-style plastic bag. Cut off a corner of the bag and gently squeeze mixture into shells.

6. Set oven temperature to 350*F. Sprinkle each potato half with a little Parmesan cheese and sage leaves if desired, and bake until heated through, about 30 minutes.

Make-ahead tip Complete steps 1 through 5 the day before, then place potato halves in airtight container and store in refrigerator. Bring to room temperature before baking, or add 10 minutes to the final cooking time.