Bake Sweet Potatoes

Sweet potatoes are a healthy, delicious option for everyday meals. They’re an excellent source of fiber, potassium, and vitamin A, and they’re also supremely easy to prepare. Read on to learn how to bake sweet potatoes three ways: simple and sweet, fully loaded, and sliced into fries.

  • Prep time (Simple Baked): 15 minutes
  • Cook time: 45 minutes
  • Total time: 60 minutes

Steps

Method One: Simple Baked Sweet Potatoes

  1. Gather your ingredients. Here's what you'll need to make simple baked sweet potatoes:
    • One or more sweet potatoes
    • Butter
    • Salt
    • Optional toppings such as maple syrup, brown sugar, cinnamon, nutmeg, and ginger
  2. Prepare the sweet potatoes. Wash the sweet potatoes and dry them thoroughly. Use a fork to poke holes on the top of the potatoes. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.
  3. Bake the sweet potatoes. Place the sweet potatoes directly on the rack in your oven, or on a baking sheet if you prefer. Bake for about 45 minutes, or until they feel soft inside when you poke them with a fork. Remove them from the oven and allow them to cool.
  4. Dress the sweet potatoes. Use a knife to cut a slit along the top of the sweet potatoes. Dress them with butter and a sprinkle of salt, and serve warm.
    • For an extra sweet dish, add a few teaspoons of maple syrup or brown sugar. Cinnamon, nutmeg, ginger, and other warm spices are also delicious sweet potato toppings.
    • Leftover baked sweet potatoes make an excellent breakfast, since their flavor grows more intense over the course of the night. Store them in a covered dish in the refrigerator overnight, and eat them cold or reheated the next morning with the toppings you prefer.

Method Two: Loaded Baked Sweet Potatoes

  1. Gather your ingredients. Here's what you'll need to make loaded baked sweet potatoes:
    • 4 sweet potatoes
    • 1 cup of cooked black beans
    • 1 red bell pepper, diced
    • 1/2 cup diced green onion
    • 1/2 cup spicy or mild tomato salsa
    • 1 cup sour cream
    • chili powder
    • paprika
    • pinch of salt
    • 1/2 cup shredded cheddar cheese
  2. Prepare the sweet potatoes. Wash the sweet potatoes and dry them thoroughly. Use a fork to poke holes on the top of the potatoes. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.
  3. Bake the sweet potatoes. Place the sweet potatoes directly on the rack in your oven, or on a baking sheet if you prefer. Bake for about 45 minutes, or until they feel soft inside when you poke them with a fork. Remove them from the oven and allow them to cool.
  4. Split the sweet potatoes. Use a knife to cut deep into the sweet potatoes and open them in half. Take a fork and mash and fluff the sweet potato meat a little, leaving it inside the skin.
  5. Prepare the toppings. Mix the sour cream, chili powder, paprika and salt in a bowl. Distribute the black beans, pepper, green onions, tomatoes, salsa, sour cream mixture, and cheese in separate bowls for serving.
  6. Load the potatoes. Divide the beans evening among the four potatoes, spooning them directly on top. Load the potatoes with the other toppings to taste, finishing with a dollop of the sour cream mixture and a sprinkle of cheese. Serve warm.

Method Three: Baked Sweet Potato Fries

  1. Gather your ingredients. Here's what you'll need to make baked sweet potato fries:
    • Two large sweet potatoes
    • 1/3 cup olive oil
    • 1 Tablespoon dried or fresh rosemary
    • pinch of salt
    • freshly ground pepper
  2. Peel the sweet potatoes. Rinse the sweet potatoes and peel them using a vegetable peeler. Discard the peels. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.
  3. Slice the sweet potatoes. Use a sharp knife to slice the sweet potatoes into flat, rectangular pieces the shape of fries. Make them as long or short as you want.
    • Thicker fries will be soft inside. Thinner fries will get crunchy.
  4. Toss the potatoes with oil and spices. Add the sweet potatoes, olive oil, rosemary, salt, and several grinds of pepper to a medium bowl. Use a spoon or tongs to toss the potatoes, making sure all the pieces are coated with oil and spices. Turn the mixture onto a baking sheet and spread the pieces out in one even layer.
  5. Bake the fries. Bake the sweet potato fries for 15 or 20 minutes. Remove the baking sheet from the oven and stir the fries, flipping them to the other side. Bake for 5 to ten more minutes, or until the fries are lightly browned and crispy around the edges.
  6. Finished.



Tips

  • Sweet potatoes with orange flesh are most common in grocery stores, but white sweet potatoes are also worth a try if you can find them. Their flesh has a slightly sweeter flavor.
  • For oven-baked fries, try a variety of different spices. Make hot fries with cumin and cayenne, or try a teaspoon ground thyme.

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Sources and Citations

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