Oven Roasted Sweet Potatoes

This is most probably the best way to eat a sweet potato.

I received a phone call from a family friend. She didn’t really want to “bother me” because she knows that all my recipes are either on the website, in Dinner Done, or in one of the cookbooks I have worked on in the past. 

“Well, I checked everywhere. I can’t find your sweet potato recipe” 

“Which one?” 

“The good one” 

She hit a nerve there. 

“They are all good!” came my immediate reply. Our recipes are all amazing. Don’t discriminate between my children, please. 

I had her describe it and then it hit me: the recipe she was looking for is simply the sweet potato version of these Newlywed Potatoes. It’s the way I will prepare sweet potatoes, weekly, without fail. This is my children’s favorite way to eat sweet potatoes. They eat the flesh, the skin, everything. And there’s not a photo of them anywhere. 

But, isn’t it how EVERYONE prepares sweet potatoes on a Tuesday? I thought so. Also, I remembered Kim Kushner has a similar version that went viral.  

Apparently, all my direction wasn’t good enough. She wanted an exact recipe. How exactly do I make the sweet potato version? So I sat down, took a few moments, and explained how these potatoes are prepared.

“Scrub them well, because they will be eating the skin too.” 

“The hardest part is slicing them in half.” 

“Mix it straight into the pan.” 

My friend, listened patiently. Then she said what I was thinking, aloud. 

“This needs to be a post on Between Carpools” 

And so, now it is. 

The size of the pan isn’t that important, but using a real pan is. You need that sear and crust that will develop only from using a real pan. 

Start by washing the potatoes well. I like to first soak them for a few minutes in a bowl filled with water. 

Use this brush to help you. It will make it so much easier! Once scrubbed, dry the potatoes well. 

Now it’s time to slice the potatoes in half lengthwise. This might be the hardest part. Use a sharp knife and a cutting board. Be careful. 

I like to use a smaller sheet pan, also called a Quarter Sheet Pan for this recipe. I usually bake 3 potatoes (6 halves) at a time, and that fits nicely on the half sheet pan. Obviously, you can use a regular-sized sheet pan too. Or prepare more potatoes at a time. 

Combine the spices and oil directly in the pan. Mix well and place the potatoes cut size down over the oil and spices. 

Bake uncovered for 30-40 minutes (time will depend on your oven).

You will know that the potatoes are ready when they are wrinkly and soft to the touch, or when a fork goes through the skin easily.