How do you bake a sweet potato?

[SirenSongWoman]

I know I should be eating these things but I never have. So I finally bought one but it's as foreign to me as a man from Mars. So when I realized I have no idea how to bake it (or even if I should bake it) I figured I'd better come here and ask The Crew.

No. I never baked white potatoes, either, though I over-boiled many. I know you all are shaking your heads...

 

[valentine64]

They're easy to bake. The tastiest way is in a 400 degree oven, but it takes close to an hour to bake. I wash mine, rub the outside with a tiny bit of oil, poke a few holes in it with a fork, and put it on the middle rack of the oven.
Don't cover it with foil; just put it right on the rack.
Bake at 400 for an hour or until the potato is soft. I put a little low-fat margarine on mine or some of that margarine spray. My husband loves his
with brown sugar on it.
If you don't have time to bake yours in the oven, it's still pretty good in the microwave. Do all the steps above and put it on a micro-safe plate. Microwave it in increments of 3-4 minutes, checking the potato and rotating it each time. It will take about 7-8 minutes, depending on your microwave.I hope you enjoy them!
Valerie

 

[spyrosmom]

What Valerie said, but....

If you wrap in foil and bump it up to about 425, you'll also end up with some nice carmelized bits on the bottom of the potato. You'll know its done when you give it all little squeeze and it feels soft and done. Don't rush it, it will take at least an hour depending on the size of the tater. The microwave will work, but for some reason it isn't nearly as tasty. Oh, and no foil in the microwave, but I'm sure you knew that It makes pretty fireworks if you put foil in the nuker

Nan

 

[tobermory]

This is a great recipe for sweet potato rolls -- i substitute white whole-wheat flour for the all purpose called for in the recipe. Yummy.

http://www.kingarthurflour.com/shop/RecipeDisplay?RID=R200

 

[cakebaker]

In the microwave

I know I should be eating these things but I never have. So I finally bought one but it's as foreign to me as a man from Mars. So when I realized I have no idea how to bake it (or even if I should bake it) I figured I'd better come here and ask The Crew.

No. I never baked white potatoes, either, though I over-boiled many. I know you all are shaking your heads...

Last time I baked sweet potatoes was at Thanksgiving when I made sweet potato pies. I microwaved them & put them through a potato ricer.

 

[gidget1978]

I usually pop mine in the microwave but I love boiling them, then mashing them with a tiny bit of butter.Then I put it in a dish,sprinkle brown sugar and cinnamon on top and put it in the oven for about 10 mins! Yum!

Lori

 

[gettingfitmom]

I buy the ready for the microwave kind. They're wrapped in plastic. Just microwave till soft. We just had them last nite, yum

 

[gettingfitmom]

I sprinkle with a little cinnamom, double yum

 

[JeanneMarie]

Wrapping them in foil when you bake in the oven takes a lot of the "baked" flavor out. The foil makes it more like you are steaming instead of baking.

I do the same as mentioned above.... poke holes and rub with oil. Then, I rub a little salt into the skin, and then place potato directly on oven rack. That makes the skin tastier, so that when they are done the whole thing, skin and inside, is good to eat.

 

[HotPants]

A question -

When you DON'T wrap them in foil, doesn't it ooze out your poked holes and make a mess in your oven???? I've always wrapped mine and placed them on a baking sheet to catch the sugary juice.....

 

[Miss Lee]

I bake them without foil and without poking holes. You really don't need to poke the hole, but you DO need to pierce to let the steam escape as soon as it comes out of the oven or it will turn to mush.

I also like to cut them in a large dice, drizzle with olive oil, season as desired (I use S&P and rosemary), and roast them. That is probably my FAVORITE way to eat them. They also make an AWESOME soup!!!

For soup, I like to roast them (about a pound or 2) as above, seasoned only with olive oil, salt and pepper. While they're roasting, I saute onion, garlic, celery, and carrots in a little olive oil (or you can dice up pancetta or a few rashers of bacon, fry until crispy, remove from the pot and reserve, and saute the vegetables in the bacon fat). When the potatoes are done, I throw them in with the vegetables and add about 1.5 - 2 quarts of canned chicken broth, season with thyme (about 2 teaspoons of dried or a TBSP of fresh), S & P to taste, and whatever else you like, and I also throw in some frozen corn -- about a cup. I let it simmer for about 30 minutes and then I puree it. You can add a little milk or cream if you want a smoother, creamier texture but I rarely do that. Then I like to garnish each serving with corn kernels, roasted pistachio nuts, and the crisp bacon bits. YUM!!!

 

[kathryn]

When you DON'T wrap them in foil, doesn't it ooze out your poked holes and make a mess in your oven???? I've always wrapped mine and placed them on a baking sheet to catch the sugary juice.....

Yes, but if you put them ON aluminum foil, that solves the problem. Or on aluminum foil on a baking sheet.

You can also peel, slice or chop and bake them (put some apple juice on them and bake until soft, addiing water as necessary. Sprinkle with cinnamon when done. Add chopped nuts if you like.)

About poking holes : I've read that you should let potatoes bake about 1/2 way before poking the holes (with a fork). I don't remember why, but it seems like it would apply to sweet potatoes as well.

As others have mentioned, they also microwave well. About 6-8 minutes, depending on size (works best with a more-symetrical SP, not one that is fat at one end and skinny at the other).

 

[Timber99]

I usually bake mine in the oven, right on the rack but on the rack underneath it, I put a piece of foil. Sometimes they do "ooze" and you don't want junk on your oven. I don't put anything on it at all prior to baking but after I either break open and put some butter on there or eat it as is or I cut it up and mash it.

I only poke holes if I bake it in the microwave. I didn't think you were supposed to poke hole in the oven at all but I could definitetly be wrong on that.

 

[jolene_hajj]

I usually cut them up (peel first) into chunks, boil them, mash them just like potatoes. Then, I add a splash of chicken broth, salt, pepper, garlic. And it is SO TASTY! Love it this way, especially since baking them takes much longer than I have time for during the week.

 

[SirenSongWoman]

Wow. It sounds like you sure can do a lot with a sweet potato. Thank you all for your instructions and ideas. Now I know what to do with the first one.

Here's another question: Are sweet potatoes and yams the same thing? I always thought not but I got mine at my local Kroger and the sign read "Sweet Potatoes" with "(yams)" underneath. Hmm.

 

[spyrosmom]

Wow. It sounds like you sure can do a lot with a sweet potato. Thank you all for your instructions and ideas. Now I know what to do with the first one.

Here's another question: Are sweet potatoes and yams the same thing? I always thought not but I got mine at my local Kroger and the sign read "Sweet Potatoes" with "(yams)" underneath. Hmm.

I think technically they are not the same thing. However, most people consider them to be the same, so they are named interchangably. What is in your grocery store is a sweet potato, a yam is different.

http://homecooking.about.com/od/howtocookvegetables/a/sweetpotatodiff.htm

Nan

 

[My2girls]

My DDs (7 & 5) think they have died and gone to heaven when we have sweet potatoes!!!! They LOVE them They enjoy them most cut into french fry type chunks, a bit of olive oil, seasoning salt and/or garlic salt and roasted. My 5 y/o then enjoys liberal amounts of ketchup!

Roasted sweet potatoes and apples added to broth of your choice then blended makes such an easy and awesome soup!!!!

Have fun!

 

[Sunshine1528]

We bake them ontop of foil in the oven or roast after dicing - sprinkle a little olive oil, gran. garlic and chipoltle or ancho chile spice. Makes for great "fries".

They are so sweet I don't add anything when I bake them.

 

[cendrine]

Sweet potato fries

I peel my sweet potatoes or yams and cut them into fry shape, then I mix them with some mustard, lemon and lime juice, chili seasoning, garlic and maybe a little oil. I spread them on a cookie sheet (use parchment paper for easy cleanup) then I bake at 420 or so for about half hour, depends on how thin you cut them. When they are baked I add salt and pepper. yum!

 

[NY25]

Sweet potatoes and yams are totally not the same thing (except in the US where yams are misidentified). Yams are actually a huge very starchy root you find in SA and Africa. Sweet potatoes are sweet potatoes.
I actually make mine this way - slice into wedges or sticks; place on baking sheet; drizzle a little olive oil over them and toss; sprinkle with a bit of kosher or sea salt and your favorite additional seasonings (fresh black pepper, or my favs - chinese five spice powder or garam masala); toss in 350-375 degeree oven for about 20 minutes. Cook until tender or even until they begin to crisp on the outside, your preference. YUM!!