baked sweet potatoes

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sweet potatoes

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Even though we can’t get locally-grown sweet potatoes here in Alaska, sometimes a nice baked sweet potato is just what you want to serve with our lovely broccoli and chard and spinach–I think the combination of a dark green vegetables and a bright orange one (like sweet potatoes or winter squash) is so beautiful, delicious, and healthy! Here’s how I cook most of the sweet potatoes I eat.

sweet potatoes
olive oil

1. Preheat the oven to 400 degrees.
2. Poke each sweet potato with a paring knife a few times to let the steam out.
3. Cover a baking sheet with aluminum foil (this makes cleanup much easier).
4. Rub each sweet potato with olive oil and place on the baking sheet.
5. Bake for 35-45 minutes and poke the smallest potato with a paring knife. Does the paring knife go all the way to the center with no resistance? Keep baking them if they aren’t completely soft. If the smallest one is soft, remove it with tongs to a plate, and check the next bigger sweet potato with a paring knife. Depending on their size, bigger potatoes may take quite a bit longer.
6. Check on the potatoes every 10 minutes or so, poking them with a paring knife and resisting the urge to remove them until they are very soft. An underdone sweet potato is not a good thing.