Baking the sweet potato in its jacket gives you far more flavour then any other preparation. Wash, cut off the ends, cut into it all over and then bake it in a 375F oven. Baking time depends on the size. This large sweet potato at 375F took me less than 2 hours to bake. When a knife slides into the flesh without resistance, the sweet potato is ready. Bake the sweet potato in a baking dish; this will protect the oven from burns. Do not wrap the sweet potato in foil; this will only steam it. Then as you peel away the skin, all the nutrients will go with it. When the sweet potato is baked unwrapped, the skin crisps up and peels away from the flesh. There is no need for 400F oven temperatures. High temperatures and over baking are the cause of most sweet potato explosions.
You can add a bit of butter, but this is not necessary. You can season with cinnamon, cloves or ginger. All the sweet stuff people add to it is superfluous. There is a reason why it is called a sweet potato. Adding sugar, honey, corn syrup, maple syrup, or marshmallows to a baked sweet potato is just southern silly.
BAKED SWEET POTATO
1 large sweet potato
1 Tbsp butter
salt to taste
• Wash and dry the sweet potato.
• Cut of the ends.
• With a chef’s knife cut into it all over. In the meantime, it is a good idea to keep your other hand behind your back. That way you will not be tempted to hold onto the sweet potato. Trust me on this.
• Place the sweet potato in a baking dish.
• Rub 1 Tbsp of butter into the skin.
• Place the baking dish in the oven and turn it on to 375F. Do not place it in a preheated oven.
• Check the sweet potato occasionally for doneness. Do not over bake. If you do, the sweet potato will explode. You can still save it. Add a tablespoon of butter and serve it as mashed sweet potato.
