Katie, bake or roast sweet potatoes just like a baked potato. Scrub, pierce the skin in several places with a knive or fork, & roast for about an hour depending on size. I use a hot oven, 450 degrees, but down to 350 works too. Cover your baking pan with foil for easy clean up. The sugars in the sweet potato tend to leak out.
They are so sweet that we just eat them with salt & pepper. Leftovers never go to waste so bake an extra.
We had sweet potato fries last night. Hot oven, a bit of olive oil sprayed on them, salt. Serve with chipolte mayonaise if you like some zip.
Butternut squash has a similar texture & sweetness. It's my favorite winter squash.
Debra