Sweet Potato Nachos

As one of my kids is still screaming his lungs out from a VERY adverse reaction to the chicken pox vaccine (he's been a sad sack for about 24 hours now and no one has slept) - I was thinking about how amazing vaccines are. I mean, chicken pox sucked. Can you think of a time in your life when you felt more miserable? And the consequences are everlasting. I still have a huge scar right smack dab in the middle of my forehead and I'm sure I have a few others too. The fact that our kids won't get that - is amazing. The medical world is a fascinating one, and how cool and fulfilling it must be for the people that are a part of it.  As a current stay at home mom, sometimes I struggle with leaving my former career-self behind, and wonder if I should be out curing cancer instead. Really making an impact. Of course given that I majored in aerospace engineering and worked in defense for 12 years I'm not sure how qualified I would be to cure cancer, but it sure sounds awesome. If I re-entered the world as a medical professional I would work hard at curing cancer and developing a genetic modification so that people can eat only donuts, pizza and wine and never change jeans sizes.
So this recipe was alllllllll my sister Ingri. Speaking of meaningful, she's an FBI agent that fights crimes against children.  Definitely meaningful and a job that most of us couldn't do! But she was over for football a couple weekends ago and threw these sweet potato nachos down out of nowhere. OH MAN. These are soooo good. And while I'm still a sucker for the mile-high version with tons of crap on them, these are a healthier, more interesting, yet definitely indulgent variation.  Make them for your favorite friends this weekend. And don't worry about measurements, us as much or as little toppings as you want.
Recipe

• 2 large sweet potatoes, peeled
• S&P
• butter or olive oil
• 1 jar salsa
• 1-3 heaping spoonfuls light sour cream
• 1 can black beans, drained
• 1-2 tomatoes, diced and seeded
• 1 avocado
• 1 diced jalapeno, sauteed
• Cheddar Jack shredded cheese blend

Slice potatoes into thin rounds. Lay on greased baking sheet in a single layer. Brush lightly with butter or olive oil and season with S&P.  Bake at 400 for about 24 minutes, flipping potatoes halfway through, after about 12 min. Bake until slightly crispy.  Take potatoes out of the oven.  Mix the salsa with the sour cream (to taste), then drizzle a little over each of the potato slices (I think we used a little over half - the rest you'll reserve for serving).  Top with some cheese, black beans and sauteed jalapenos. Return to oven for another 8-10 minutes or so, when cheese is melted. Top with avocado, tomatoes, and a little bit more cheese. Return to oven to melt the cheese, then remove.  Serve immediately, cutting apart if necessary and serving with tortilla chips (optional, but gives an awesome crunch!)