Ingredients

4 sweet potatoes, scrubbed clean

Olive oil, optional

4 tbsp. butter

Kosher salt

Freshly ground black pepper

Preparation

Step 1Preheat oven to 425º. On a baking sheet lined with aluminum foil, prick sweet potatoes all over with a fork. Rub the outsides with a small amount of olive oil if you intend to eat the skins.Step 2Bake until tender, 45 to 50 minutes.Step 3Let cool, then split the tops open with a knife and top with a pat of butter.Step 4 Season with salt and pepper before serving.

Wash ’em clean & keep ‘em dry The worst way to ruin a sweet potato casserole is with a gritty texture. Scrub the skins lightly to get rid of any dirt and soil. If you’re planning on eating the skin, rub them in a small amount of olive oil before baking to crisp them up and add extra flavor. Wrap your baking sheet, but not your potatoes Sweet potatoes tend to get a little juicy while baking and these juices can caramelize and be a pain to deal with afterwards. Lining the baking sheet first with foil or parchment ensures an easy clean up. No need to wrap your potatoes in foil though—you want them to really feel that oven heat, rather than steam. Bake ’em! The pricking technique is always used when baking regular or sweet potatoes—the holes help to reduce baking time and ensure the potatoes won’t burst during the long bake time by providing steam vents. Speaking of, depending on your oven and size of potato, it will likely take between 45 and 55 minutes to achieve perfect potatoes. Just be patient and test by sticking a knife or fork into the thickest part of the potato. If there’s no resistance, it’s good to go. Once they’re baked you can slice ‘em open, add a big pat of butter and dig right in. If you want to jazz them up, try them topped with everything from BBQ chicken to taco fillings. You can also use the roasty, nutty flesh to make any number of dishes like sweet potato pancakes, sweet potato bread, or even sweet potato gnocchi. Just make sure you mash with a fork or potato masher for the best texture possible. Made these? Let us know how it went in the comment section below!