Roast the sweet potato. Heat oven to 400°F. Place sweet potato in a oven-safe frying pan and prick all over with a fork. Roast until very soft, about 1 hour. Remove and let cool slightly. This can be done a day in advance.

Mash the sweet potato. Peel the skin and mash sweet potato with a potato masher or fork. Measure 1 cup of sweet potato puree.

Cook bacon. Cook the bacon over medium heat in a frying pan until crisp. Remove to a plate lined with paper towels and save bacon grease in the pan. Chop bacon into small pieces

Mix the dough. Combine 1 cup mashed sweet potato, masa harina, hot water, salt, and 2 tablespoons reserved bacon grease in a large bowl. Mix together with a wooden spoon until it is well combined.

Knead the dough. Turn dough out onto a clean work surface and knead with your palm for a minute or two to really hydrate the flour. Test to see if it is the right consistency by forming a ball with a piece of dough. If it cracks all over, knead in more water, a tablespoon at a time. If it sticky very badly to your hands, add more masa harina a tablespoon at a time until it is moist, but not too sticky. It is better to have it more wet than dry.

Knead in bacon bits then cover with plastic wrap to prevent it from drying out.

Heat the pan. Heat a comal or cast iron skillet over medium-high heat until hot, but not smoking. Turn the heat down if it gets too hot.

Form the gorditas. Tear off a lime-sized piece of dough and roll into a ball. Place the ball between to sheets of thick plastic, like a Ziplock bag cut in half, then place inside a tortilla press. Press down gently until it is about 1/2 inch thick.

Cook the gorditas. Place gordita on the hot comal and cook undisturbed, until lightly browned and easily moves around the pan, about 2-3 minutes. Repeat on the other side.

Split and fill the gorditas. While still warm, form a pocket in the gordita by splitting in half with a pairing knife—don't cut all the way through! Fill with your favorite warmed filling and enjoy!