Loaded Apple Sweet Potatoes

• 4 small sweet potatoes
• Olive oil
• 2 Golden Delicious apple, cored
• 1cup melted butter
• 4 tbsp unsweetened applesauce
• 4 tbsp pure maple syrup, plus more for serving
• 1/2 cup finely chopped pecans
•  1/2 cup chopped dried cranberries
•  1 tsp. cinnamon
• A pinch of salt

1. Preheat the oven to 400  F. 
2. Line a small baking dish with parchment paper; set aside. 
3. Pierce the sweet potatoes a few times and microwave each one on high for 1  minutes.
4. When cool enough to handle, peel the sweet potatoes and rub oil over the surface of each. 
5. Cut  1/2" -thick widthwise slices into the potatoes without cutting through the bottom. 
6. Set the potatoes in the prepared baking dish.
7. Cut the apple into very thin rings and cut the rings in half; dip into the melted butter and place one slice between alternate cuts in the sweet potatoes. 
8. Cover with foil and bake for 40 minutes.
9. Stir together the applesauce, syrup, pecans, cranberries, cinnamon, and salt.
10.  Remove the dish from the oven (don't turn off the oven) and carefully push some of the pecan mixture between the empty cuts in the sweet potatoes, putting any extra filling on top.
11. Bake uncovered 10 to 15 minutes, watching carefully so the pecan mixture doesn't burn.

Serve with maple syrup if you'd like.