Easy Baked Sweet Potato Halves

We love sweet potatoes in our house. We like them mashed, cubed and roasted, in pie, and spiralized as noodles. The way we make them most frequently is cut in half and baked. We do this most often because 1) it is the easiest form in terms of prep and 2) they develop a delicious caramelization on the cut side. We usually put some grass-fed butter and sea salt in ours, but coconut oil is also tasty, and they go really well with cinnamon and/or pumpkin pie spice.

This article explains some of the health benefits of sweet potatoes, and it also explains the difference between them and yams. We try to buy them either from someone who has grown them and who we know hasn’t used any biocides on them, or we choose organic. They are not on either EWG’s Clean 15 or Dirty 12 this year, but I like to err on the cautious side.

Ingredients and equipment:

Sweet potatoes- washed, dried and cut in half lengthwise (I usually use 4 or 5 large potatoes for our family of 5)

Parchment paper ( We use this unbleached and compostable brand)

Large baking sheet

Instructions:

1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees F

2. Place one layer of parchment paper on the baking sheet, covering the entire bottom.

3. Place the sweet potatoes cut-side down on the parchment paper, making sure the entire flat side of the potato is in contact with the baking sheet.

4. Place baking sheet in the oven and bake for about 60 minutes, rotating the pan once about halfway through.

5. They are done baking when they are soft to the touch when pressed firmly with your finger at the thickest part of the potato. You may have to pull some out earlier than others if there are significant size discrepancies.

6. I slide a flat spatula under each potato when removing from the sheet in order to keep the delicious browned crust of the flat side intact.

7. Add butter, coconut oil, salt, cinnamon, etc. while they are still warm. Some of us, myself included, like to eat the entire potato like a taco with the skin on.

Enjoy!