Simple Baked Sweet Potato Recipe

You've got a perfect roast, turkey, or ham ready to go ... but you need the proper side dish. Well, how about a baked sweet potato? You don't need to rely on russets to make a good baked potato, and Catherine Brookes' baked sweet potato recipe will have you opting for the russet's orange cousin. "I'm such a fan of a simple baked sweet potato," Brookes raves. "Tender on the inside, crisp on the outside, and topped with creamy butter. It's such comfort food, and healthy, too!"

Indeed, a sweet potato does manage to check both boxes when it comes to "comfort" and "healthy" food. You can load a sweet potato up with all of the fixings that you might a russet potato — butter, herbs, or sour cream — but you can also take a sweet route, and opt for brown sugar, molasses, or honey. A baked sweet potato leaves the door open for customization, and when you're feeding a crowd, you can't ask for anything more convenient than that. 

Perhaps one of the best things about this recipe is that it requires just four ingredients. To make your sweet potatoes, you'll of course need some sweet potatoes — scrubbed, cleaned, and dried — along with olive oil, salt, and butter. 

First, preheat your oven to 410 F. Once the sweet potatoes are throughly cleaned, go ahead and drizzle on the olive oil. Make sure each potato is evenly oiled, then sprinkle on the salt, to taste. Finally, prick each sweet potato with a knife or fork, which will help ensure that the steam can release as the potatoes bake, preventing the potatoes from exploding in the oven.

It's time to bake some sweet potatoes! Place them onto a baking sheet and pop them in the oven for 45-50 minutes. You'll know they're done once a knife or fork inserts easily into the middle of the potato and comes out clean. At that point, slice each potato in half and top them with the butter, which will melt right into the potatoes' flesh. 

Now that your sweet potatoes are baked and buttered, it's truly a choose-your-own-adventure situation. "You could perhaps top them with chili, or tuna mayo, or roasted peppers," Brookes suggests. Of course, you could also take the sweet route and opt for brown sugar or cinnamon — the possibilities are endless!

There's a good chance that you're pairing the potato as a side dish for a larger meal, for which Brookes suggests that "half a potato also makes a great side for pairing with fish or other meats." However you pair it — savory or sweet — you can do so knowing that your sweet potato will be perfectly cooked, tender, and ready to enjoy.