A high school teacher in Georgia, United States, has gone viral on TikTok for her simple yet unconventional snack: a baked sweet potato stuffed with cheese. Courtney Cook Bales, 36, has amassed a devoted following for her daily lunch videos, which often feature unusual savoury pairings. However, it is the humble combination of sweet potato and cheese that has captured the internet's attention.
Bales typically bakes a Japanese or white sweet potato for over an hour before stuffing it with cheeses such as cheddar, butterkäse, or cottage cheese, allowing it to melt together. She recommends letting the potato cool for several hours to become syrupy before adding the cheese. The snack is designed to be eaten by hand, with no cutlery required.
In a video posted on December 10, which has garnered over five million views, Bales described the snack as 'wholesome, filling, and energising'. While only two ingredients are essential, she often adds toppings like macaroni salad, sweet onion cups, and pickles. The series has elicited mixed reactions from TikTok users, with comments ranging from 'disturbed but intrigued' to praising its addictiveness.
Many viewers have adopted the snack themselves, reporting increased fullness and reduced cravings for junk food. Bales told People magazine that she did not expect viral fame but hopes her videos encourage others to feel confident and joyful in their food choices. 'We are all figuring things out for the first time,' she said.
The teacher has gained more than one million followers in under seven months, with her ploughman's lunch-style videos continuing to attract attention online.
