In Time for the Holidays! Laura Prepon Shares Cheesy Sweet Potatoes Recipe
Getting ready for a festive meal! Laura Prepon has a foolproof method for selecting the perfect holiday fare.
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“I always go to staples my family loves — with crowd-pleaser ingredients — but then look for a [way to] elevate [them] to make the day special,” the That ’70’s Show alum, 42, exclusively tells Us Weekly, adding that this year, she’ll be whipping up her Hasselback sweet potatoes. “Most people are used to seeing mashed sweet potatoes, so the Hasselback style not only looks beautiful, but it also adds a fun twist.”
As for the perfect finishing touch? “I top the dish with roasted hazelnuts,” notes Prepon, “to add flavor and texture.”
The actress previously opened up about her approach in the kitchen. “I consider myself more of a flexitarian lifestyle especially when it gets toward like the hotter months. I definitely tend to go more plant-based for my family,” she explained to Us in June.
Prepon, who shares 5-year-old daughter Ella and a 2-year-old son with husband Ben Foster, broke down her interest in healthy cooking, adding, “I mean, my first cookbook came out in 2016 and that was all about batch-cooking healthy meals and then reimagining it for three days after that.”
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The Orange Is the New Black alum continued: “I mean a lot of my videos that I post [are] usually about cooking quick and healthy meals for your family, with an emphasis on preparation, because as a career mom it is harder to get healthy meals on the table — but it’s all about having the right ingredients.”
At the time, the New Jersey native gushed about how “great” her children are at eating their vegetables.
“Like since they were very young — as soon as my pediatrician gave me the OK — I’ve been giving them homemade bone broth in a bottle and pureed greens,” she recalled. “The main thing for me is that I have been giving them vegetables since they were very little so even now, they’re great with it. I have someone helping me with my kids and she was shocked at how easily my son just ate his greens. Like the first thing he went to. I like to think it’s because I have some fun tricks about how to make it tasty.”
See the recipe below:
Celebrity Vegans and Vegetarians
Cheesy Hasselback Sweet Potatoes With Herbs and Hazelnuts
Serves 4
Ingredients
4 medium sweet potatoes, scrubbed
2 tbsp unsalted butter (or non-dairy alternative)
2 tbsp chopped fresh rosemary
2 tbsp chopped fresh sage
1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste
1/4 cup Vitalite Mozzarella Style Shreds
1/2 cup Vitalite Grated Parmesan Style
1/2 cup blanched hazelnuts, toasted and chopped
Instructions
1. Preheat the oven to 425 degrees. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
2. Cut several 1/8-inch-thick-slits into each sweet potato crosswise about three-quarters through the body off the potato. Place the potatoes on the prepared backing sheet.
3. In a small saucepan, add the butter and allow to melt over medium-low heat. Stir in the rosemary and sage and allow to infuse for a minute or so. Lastly, stir in the olive oil and allow to warm through for another couple of minutes. Brush and/or spoon some of the herb mixture all over the potatoes and season with salt and pepper.
4. After the potatoes have roasted, remove from the oven and carefully open the creases using a butter knife. The potato should be tender enough for them to open slightly. Brush and/or spoon more of the olive oil and herb mixture over each potato and return to the oven for another 10 minutes, until the tops are crunchy and the bottom is fork tender.
5. Remove from the oven one more time. Reduce the oven temperature to 325 degrees and allow the potatoes to cool for 5 to 10 minutes. Keep the temperature lower here to melt the cheese to finish. Baste the potatoes one more time with the herb mixture. Sprinkle Vitalite Mozzarella Style Shreds, Vitalite Grated Parmesan Style and hazelnuts into the crevices of the potato. Return to the oven and allow to bake for another 15 to 20 minutes until the cheese has fully melted. Allow to cool slightly then serve.
