Sweet Potato Bacon Casserole ~ Paleo

I got a great deal on some organic sweet potatoes at Costco yesterday. So I was trying to figure out what to do with them. I remembered I had some nitrate-free bacon in the freezer and then I got to work.

Ingredients:
4 large organic sweet potatoes
1 organic apple
1, 12 ounce package of nitrate-free bacon
1 Tablespoon sea salt
3 Tablespoons Olive oil, separated
2-3 Tablespoons of Daiya (dairy-free) cheese
    *If you aren't dairy free then you can use whatever sort of shredded cheese that you like.

Peel and rinse the sweet potatoes.
Then slice them CAREFULLY with either a mandolin or knife.
*I did this step because Matt is banned from the mandolin. Last time he used it he sliced a decent sized chunk off the corner of his finger.

Put the sliced sweet potatoes, 2 Tablespoons of the olive oil and all of the sea salt into a large bowl. Toss them with your hands making sure that the salt and oil get evenly distributed.

Use the remaining tablespoon of olive oil to coat the bottom and sides of a 9x13 baking dish.

Then pour in the sweet potatoes.

Peel, core and cube up the apple and sprinkle it on top of the sweet potatoes. Sprinkle the cheese of your choice over the top.

Place into the oven and bake at 425 F for 30 minutes or until the sweet potatoes are cooked and soft (the cooking time will vary depending on how thinly the sweet potatoes are sliced).

After putting the dish into the oven to begin baking, get out the bacon. Cut it into this slices and fry up in a frying pan on the stove top. When it is cooked to the way you like it, spoon the "crumbles" out onto a plate lined with a paper towel (to catch the grease). Then carefully open the oven and sprinkle them on the top of the sweet potatoes that are cooking.

Here is mine, all finished and warm from the oven.

 

 

I ate mine plain (true Paleo style) but the kids and Matt mixed theirs up with some rice. Matt said that it was really good mixed with the rice.

 

This is great as a side dish or as a main, "one dish" dinner.

 

We will definitely be making it again and I am looking forward to the leftovers that I get to eat for lunch today!!