Shrimp and Sweet Potato Gumbo

Ingredients

• 6  bacon smoked with nueske's
• 1  bay leaf 
• 10.8 ounce tomatoes with roasted garlic and herbs soup, undiluted canned
• 14.5 ounce canned tomatoes canned
• 2 rib celery chopped
• 10.8 ounce chicken gumbo soup undiluted canned
• 0.3 cup flour all-purpose
• 1 tablespoon garlic minced
• 1  bell pepper green chopped
• 1 tablespoon olive oil 
• 2 large onions coarsely chopped
• 0.3 teaspoon pepper 
• 0.5 teaspoon salt 
• 1 pound shrimp fresh unpeeled peeled
• 1 pound sausage smoked sliced
• 1 pound sweet potatoes peeled cut into 1
• 0.3 cup vegetable oil 
• 3 cups water 

Equipment

• bowl
• frying pan
• paper towels
• ladle
• whisk
• roasting pan
• dutch oven

Directions

1. Toss onion and sweet potato with 1 tablespoon olive oil; sprinkle with salt and pepper.
2. Spread vegetables in a single layer in a shallow roasting pan or a 15" x 10" jellyroll pan. Roast at 450 for 30 minutes, stirring twice.
3. Cook sausage in a large Dutch oven over medium heat until browned; remove sausage, and set aside.
4. Cook bacon in same pan over medium heat until crisp; remove bacon and drain on paper towels, reserving drippings in pan. Coarsely crumble bacon.
5. Add enough oil to drippings in pan to yield 1/4 cup.
6. Add flour and cook over medium heat, whisking constantly, until roux is peanut butter-colored (about 30 minutes).
7. Add celery, green pepper, and garlic; cook 7 minutes or until vegetables are just tender. Stir in water and next 4 ingredients. Bring to a boil; cover, reduce heat, and simmer 20 minutes. Gently stir in roasted vegetables, sausage, and shrimp; cook 5 to 7 minutes or until shrimp turn pink. Discard bay leaf before serving.
8. To serve, ladle gumbo into individual bowls.
9. Sprinkle each serving with bacon, if desired.