These have nothing to do with being Hawaiian except that it’s in the vein of calling things with pineapple “Hawaiian” – like I could be wrong, but I’m pretty sure what we call a Hawaiian pizza (canadian bacon/ham with pineapple) isn’t actually from Hawaii. Y’know, just saying and all. Like how German Chocolate Cake isn’t actually German, but called that because of the type of chocolate used. I’m only calling this Hawaiian because it has pineapple.

But I digress…

We decided to clean out some freezer space and we still had an extra turkey in there from last Thanksgiving. It always happens, getting a second turkey for some kind of ridiculous deal and then realizing you never cooked it. So we had Thanksgiving in August! Archaellys and I took the opportunity to plan an alternative menu, free of traditional dishes that HAVE to be cooked at Thanksgiving and this was one of them born from some late night food talk. It turned out really good and I’d even recommend it as an alternative to the candied yams that always end up on the table. They’re still sweet but with the bonus of bacon! Does Grandma’s candied yams have bacon? Probably not. Nothing against Grandma’s candied yams because they’re really good, but sometimes you gotta shake things up and leave the marshmallow fluff in the pantry.

Hawaiian Sweet Potatoes

16 oz Bacon
3 Sweet Potatoes (I usually use Garnets, but use what you like)
Pineapple Tidbits
Thyme
Cinnamon
Nutmeg
Salt and Pepper

Cut your bacon into smaller pieces. This is usually easier if you partially freeze the bacon first and then use a sharp knife. You can also use “ends and pieces” and just cut up some of the really big pieces, like I did. If you want a bacon recommendation, my go-to bacon is Trader Joe’s Uncured Applewood Smoked Bacon, which comes in regular slices and ends and pieces. In any case, cut your bacon up into large bite sized pieces and cook in a large pan.

Meanwhile, wash and peel your sweet potatoes. You can leave the peels on if you want, but sometimes I just like to remove it. Go with how you feel. Cut the sweet potatoes into slices and then into big bite sized pieces. Set aside.

Remove and reserve the bacon fat once your bacon is done cooking. Don’t bother letting it get crispy and stuff. Just make sure that it’s cooked – it’s going to cook more with the sweet potatoes and get soggy anyway if you try to crisp it. Add the reserved sweet potatoes and some bacon fat to cook. Mix everything together, cover and leave the pan on low heat. Let those sweet potatoes steam and cook in that delicious bacon fat.

Once the sweet potatoes are cooked, add your pineapple and season everything with your spices to taste. I got a bag of Pineapple Tidbits from Trader Joe’s in the freezer section and only used about half of it. Just add enough so there’s a good ratio of sweet potatoes to pineapple. Canned pineapple or fresh works too. Use what you like. Also, I never measure my spices, so here are approximate measurements: 1 tsp Thyme, 1/2 tsp Cinnamon, a dash of ground Nutmeg, salt and pepper to taste. Adjust as necessary.

Now it’s ready to serve! Yum yum in your tum tum!