Baked Sweet Potatoes may have disappointed you in the past, but this recipe will completely change your mind. These sweet potatoes are roasted to perfection, with soft, creamy insides and crispy skin. I love to top them with a slab of butter and a pinch of freshly cracked black pepper.
Looking for my easy side dishes? Try my baked potato wedges next!
About This Recipe
Nothing beats a perfectly baked sweet potato. The skin should be dry and crispy while the inside is tender, creamy, and fluffy. It's honestly one of my favorite side dishes. I make it year-round, but I love cooking it in the fall and winter the most because that's when they're in season and cheap at the grocery stores.
Plus, my dog loves sweet potatoes. He goes crazy for the dried sweet potato chews from Costco. Whenever I make baked sweet potatoes, I always save a few pieces for him.
The secret to the perfect baked sweet potatoes is how you prepare them! You will need to poke holes all over the sweet potatoes so that steam can escape. Not only does this prevent a potato explosion from happening, but it makes the inside fluffier because the moisture can escape.
Another important tip I've learned is not to wrap the sweet potatoes in foil. The reason is because we want the skin to dry up in the oven. If you wrap them in foil, the steam will get trapped and actually combine with the starches to make the skin soft and slimy. No foil = dry, crispy skin!
Key Ingredients
All you need for this recipe is 3-4 sweet potatoes (yams work as well), salt, and extra virgin olive oil. Optionally, after baking, you can top the sweet potatoes with black pepper, butter, sour cream, or brown sugar.
Instructions
STEP 1: Poke holes all over the sweet potatoes. I poked each sweet potato about 8 times.
STEP 2: Rub each sweet potato in olive oil and salt. Place on a parchment-lined baking sheet.
STEP 3: Bake for 50-65 minutes until the skin is dry and crispy and the flesh is fork tender.
๐ Recipe
Baked Sweet Potato
Ingredients
- 3-4 medium sweet potatoes
- extra virgin olive oil
- salt
Optional toppings
- salt, pepper, butter, brown sugar, sour cream
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 425ยฐF and line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
- Use a fork to poke holes all over the sweet potatoes (I poked each sweet potato about 8 times). Rub each potato with olive oil and salt, and place on the baking sheet.
- Bake for 50-65 minutes until fork-tender and the skin is brown and crisp. Split the sweet potatoes open and sprinkle with any of the optional toppings. Enjoy!
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