Roasted Sweet Potatoes

Name: Roasted Sweet Potatoes
Total time: 50 min
Yield: 4 servings
Ingredients: 4 small or medium sweet potatoes (8 to 10 ounces each), scrubbed then halved lengthwise; 2 tablespoons neutral oil (such as canola or grapeseed), plus more as needed; Salt

By Ali Slagle

Published Jan. 9, 2023

Total Time: 50 minutes
Rating: 4(868)
Comments: Read comments

For consistently soft and sweet roasted sweet potatoes, start with small or medium sweet potatoes because they tend to be less starchy. Halve them lengthwise, season and oil generously, then arrange cut-sides down. Their skins shield the flesh from drying out, while the cut sides caramelize from contact with the hot pan. Most importantly, put the sweet potatoes into the oven before heating it; according to Harold McGee, the author of “On Food and Cooking: The Science and Lore of the Kitchen” (Scribner, 2004), the more time the potatoes spend between 135 and 170 degrees, the more starch molecules convert to sugar, which means sweeter sweet potatoes. Eat any way you like: slathered with butter or other toppings, on its own alongside meats or tofu, or sliced for green or grain salads.

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Ingredients

Yield:4 servings

4small or medium sweet potatoes (8 to 10 ounces each), scrubbed then halved lengthwise
2tablespoons neutral oil (such as canola or grapeseed), plus more as needed
Salt

Ingredient Substitution Guide

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Preparation

Step 1
Line a sheet pan with parchment or foil. On the sheet pan, toss the sweet potatoes with oil and a generous pinch of salt. Arrange cut-sides down, place on the middle rack of the oven, and heat the oven to 425 degrees.
Step 2
Roast, without flipping, until the cut sides are sticky and a knife inserted slides through easily, 30 to 45 minutes. Caramelization on the cut sides will vary depending on your oven and type of sweet potatoes: To brown further, warm a drizzle of oil in a skillet over medium heat; add the potatoes cut-sides down and sear until as browned as you’d like.

Ratings

4 out of 5

868 user ratings

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Comments

Joanna2 years ago

Sweet potatoes can be hard to cut -- I put them in the microwave for a few minutes to soften them slightly. Then cut, brush the cut sides with olive oil using a pastry brush, face down on parchment paper and then into the oven. Mine take about 25 minutes.

SGreer2 years ago

They are sweet potatoes, which are tubers like potatoes. Yams are roots and they are an entirely different plant--they are not actually sweet. Real yams are not generally available in the U.S.--they are native to parts of Africa. Canned "yams" are mislabeled--they are sweet potatoes. It was a strange marketing ploy years ago to call them yams instead of sweet potatoes.

Mira2 years ago

Best sweet potatoes are garnets or jewels.

K W1 month ago

crowd pleaser!. Once plated I added a drizzle of hot honey and a drizzle of lemon yogurt sauce

Gail2 months ago

Someone mentioned they are hard to cut. My method is wonderful, in my humble opinion. You need a wooden cutting board and sharp, wide knife. Stand potato on its side, position the knife lengthwise on the potato as exactly in the middle as you can get it and cut into the potato a little so the knife sticks. All set! Bang the potato on the board little by little and the knife will continue to cut through until done—soften the blows towards the end. VOILA!

lucy3 months ago

Works like a charm!

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