Roasted sweet potatoes are delicious and have a lot of nutritional value. They make excellent side dishes for dinners and are good filling choices for lunch.
You can roast whole sweet potatoes with the skin on in less than an hour. Start with a preheated oven set to 425° F. While the oven is warming up, wash the sweet potatoes and then poke holes all over them with a fork. You can season them to taste and pop them in the oven for about 45 minutes.
In this article, you’ll learn about how to make a simple, yet delicious side dish that’s great to serve with your favorite meat entree. So, keep reading for our tips and all you need to know.
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Can You Roast Whole Sweet Potatoes with Skin?
Just as you can roast russet and other types of potatoes in their skins, you can roast sweet potatoes in their skins. You prep them much the same way as any of the others.
Make sure to wash the potatoes thoroughly. You don’t want to serve them tasting like dirt.
It’s important that you poke holes into the potatoes on all sides. Roasting whole potatoes in the oven in their skins without poking holes in them is a recipe for disaster.
You’ll end up cleaning potato guts off the inside of your oven for months.
The holes allow the pressure to escape rather than build up inside the potato until it explodes.
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How to Season a Whole Roasted Sweet Potato
There’s never just one way to season your food. That’s why we can search for different recipes to try.
Roasted sweet potatoes don’t have to be complicated. They’ll be delicious with a minimal amount of flavors.
Try simply rubbing the potatoes with olive oil and sprinkling them with black pepper and sea salt. Bake them for about 45 minutes.
Serve your roasted sweet potatoes with shaved parmesan cheese and a little more olive oil drizzled over the top.
Roasted Whole Sweet Potato Recipe Alternatives
As we mentioned above, you can dress up foods in different ways. This includes roasted sweet potatoes.
Read on for more ideas on how to season your potatoes.
Whole Roasted Sweet Potatoes Meal
This variation is a meal in itself. You can start by seasoning the sweet potatoes the same way as was discussed in the last section.
Once they come out of the oven you’ll split all the potatoes open. Add some Swiss cheese on top. Then put crumbled cooked bacon on top of the cheese.
Turn the oven on to broil and put the potatoes in to broil for just a couple minutes until it melts the cheese.
Whole Roasted Sweet Potatoes Sweet Side Dish
If you’re looking for a sweet side dish either at holiday time or just because, this variation is the perfect option. Again, you’ll start by roasting the potatoes with oil on the skin at a minimum.
After they come out of the oven, split open the tops. You’ll top each one with cinnamon sugar and mini marshmallows.
Then place them back onto a baking sheet with foil and put them in the oven on broil. Take them out to serve once you see the marshmallows starting to brown.
Whole Roasted Sweet Potatoes Dessert
This variation could be a sweet side dish but also makes a good dessert. You simply roast the potatoes in their skins with the holes poked all over.
When the potatoes are done roasting, take them out of the oven, split them open, and put butter on them to melt.
Then, sprinkle cinnamon sugar over top of the butter. Finally, use 1 or 2 teaspoons of honey or maple syrup to drizzle over the sweet potatoes.
Voila! You have a delicious and not so unhealthy dessert.
Whole Roasted Sweet Potatoes with a Twist
If you want something that’s a little more interesting, try this variation. Roast your potatoes using oil on the skin and sprinkle with salt and pepper, if you like.
Once the potatoes come out of the oven, top them with coconut oil instead of butter. This gives them a little bit of a different flavor.
Then you can sprinkle cumin and curry powder over the coconut oil. Add a little brown sugar to finish them off.
How Long Do You Roast Whole Sweet Potatoes with Skin?
Sweet potatoes come in all sorts of sizes and shapes. A good average sized sweet potato is about 8 ounces. Roasting times vary depending on the temperature you set your oven to and the size of your potatoes.
We recommend preheating your oven to 425° F. An 8 ounce sweet potato takes about 40 to 45 minutes to fully roast at this temperature.
If you’re roasting a tray full of sweet potatoes for friends or family, you should be mindful of the sizes of the potatoes you choose at the grocery store.
Try to choose a group of sweet potatoes that are fairly uniform in size and shape. This allows you to cook them all for the same amount of time and expect the same results.
You’ll know your potatoes are ready when you stick a fork in them and you can feel how soft and tender they are inside.
If you’re roasting giant sweet potatoes, make sure to extend the time by at least 15 to 20 minutes. You can check periodically with a fork to see how soft they’re getting and change the timer, as needed.
Can You Make Mashed Roasted Sweet Potatoes?
Mashed roasted sweet potatoes are easy and incredibly tasty. Just like with whole roasted sweet potatoes, you can make mashed sweet potatoes sweet or savory.
You can mash them with butter, cinnamon, and sugar. You can also use coconut oil, salt, pepper, and some thyme.
They’re good with olive oil, white wine, salt, pepper, and rosemary, too. You can try out different seasonings and find the combination that works best for your tastebuds.
Do the Sweet Potato Skins Come Off Easy?
If you roast the sweet potatoes until they’re fully cooked, for about 45 minutes, the skins should peel off quite easily.
You’ll want to allow the potatoes to cool long enough to handle them safely. Then, it’s a quick process of peeling the skins away.
Should You Wrap Sweet Potatoes in Foil for Roasting?
You can wrap your sweet potatoes in foil. This keeps the flesh more moist. It also keeps the skin from becoming crisp.
When you wrap potatoes in foil, they bake rather than roast. Roasted food tends to get a crispness to the outside.
If you’d rather ensure your potatoes come out super fluffy, wrapping them in foil is the way to go.
Conclusion
You can roast an average sized whole sweet potato with skin in a 425° oven for 45 minutes. The skin should be washed well, and holes poked into all sides of the potatoes.
Once they’re fully cooked, the sky’s the limit as to what you can dress them up with. Keep it simple and season with butter, salt, and pepper.
Or get a little wild and throw in some curry powder and cumin. You can even make a yummy dessert with cinnamon sugar and honey.
Choose how you see fit.
References
https://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/whole-roasted-sweet-potatoes-3416485
https://www.thespruceeats.com/whole-baked-sweet-potatoes-3061582