Best Baked Sweet Potatoes

Ingredients

• 4 sweet potatoes (small (8 ounces each), unpeeled, each pricked lightly with fork in 3 places; Garnet or Diane variety recommended)
• vegetable oil spray (for greasing the wire rack)
• salt (to taste)
• black pepper (to taste)

Steps

1. 1

   Adjust oven rack to middle position and heat oven to 425 degrees Fahrenheit (220 degrees Celsius).

2. 2

   Place the pricked sweet potatoes on a large plate and microwave until potatoes yield to gentle pressure and centers register 200 degrees Fahrenheit, 6 to 9 minutes, flipping potatoes every 3 minutes.

3. 3

   Set a wire rack in an aluminum foil–lined rimmed baking sheet and spray the rack with vegetable oil spray.

4. 4

   Using tongs, transfer the microwaved potatoes to the prepared wire rack.

5. 5

   Bake the potatoes for 1 hour; the exteriors should be lightly browned and the potatoes will feel very soft when squeezed.

6. 6

   Slit each potato lengthwise; using a clean dish towel, hold the ends and squeeze slightly to push the flesh up and out.

7. 7

   Transfer the potatoes to a serving platter, season with salt and pepper to taste, and serve.

Notes

Any variety of orange- or red-skinned, orange-fleshed sweet potato can be used, but Garnet (also sold as Diane) is highly recommended. Avoid varieties with tan or purple skin, which are starchier and less sweet. Look for sweet potatoes that are uniform in size and weigh between 8 and 12 ounces. The wire rack allows air to circulate for even cooking and the foil-lined sheet catches sugary syrup that may ooze out.

Nutrition per serving

• side dish
• vegetarian
• vegan
• gluten-free
• baked
• sweet potatoes
• healthy