Apple-Sausage Stuffed Sweet Potatoes

4 large sweet potatoes

1 pound loose fennel sausage meat

¼ cup chopped shallots

4 cloves garlic, minced

2 tablespoons minced fresh rosemary

1 large apple, peeled, cored and diced

1 cup cheese curds, chopped

Kosher salt and ground black pepper

Heat the oven to 350 degrees.

Use a fork to poke several holes into each potato. Place them directly on the oven's middle rack and bake for 45 minutes, or until tender throughout when pierced with a knife. Remove from the oven and set aside to cool. Leave the oven on.

Meanwhile, in a medium skillet over medium-high heat, saute the sausage, shallots, garlic and rosemary until the sausage is browned and cooked through. Remove from the heat. Stir in the apple, then set aside.

Once the potatoes have cooled enough to handle, cut each in half lengthwise. Use a spoon to carefully scoop out most of the insides, leaving about ¼ inch of flesh. Add the scooped out sweet potato and the cheese curds to the sausage mixture, mixing it well. Season with salt and pepper. Spoon the mixture back into the sweet potato shells.

Arrange the filled sweet potato halves on a rimmed baking sheet. Bake for 25 minutes, or until lightly browned on top.

Serves eight.

Cook's note: Can't find cheese curds? Substitute shredded or chopped cheddar.

Nutrition values per serving: 290 calories, 15 g fat (5 g saturated, 0 trans), 24 g carbohydrate, 4 g fiber, 9 g sugar, 14 g protein, 55 mg cholesterol, 410 mg sodium.

Alison Ladman, for The Associated Press