How to Bake Sweet Potatoes and Take Off Their Jackets

Line your baking pan with aluminum foil to make cleaning up after baking sweet potatoes quick and easy.

Sweet potatoes are flavorful vegetables that are packed with vitamin A. They also offer a substantial amount of vitamin C and fiber. Baking sweet potatoes is a healthy way to cook them because you are avoiding the extra fats and sugars used in most sweet potato casserole recipes. The skins of sweet potatoes are sometimes referred to as "jackets." You can easily bake sweet potatoes and remove their jackets as you prepare for a delicious vegetable treat. Does this Spark an idea?

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Baking sheet
Vegetable oil
Fork
Knife
Butter, sugar, taco seasoning (optional)

Instructions

- 1
  
  Preheat your oven to 400 degrees.
- 2
  
  Use a couple of drops of vegetable oil per sweet potato to grease the potatoes' skins. This will help the jacket to peel off more easily later.
- 3
  
  Place the sweet potatoes on the baking sheet, and place the sheet in the oven.
- 4
  
  Bake the potatoes at 400 degrees Fahrenheit for 45 minutes to an hour. Your baking time will vary depending on the size of the potatoes.
- 5
  
  Pierce the potatoes with a fork to see if they are done. A done sweet potato should feel very soft inside when you pierce it with the fork.
- 6
  
  Allow the potatoes to cool for 15 to 20 minutes, or until you can handle them comfortably.
- 7
  
  Make a small incision down the length of each potato. Peel back the potatoes' jackets, beginning at the point of incision and peeling outward toward the other side of the potato.
- 8
  
  Add a dab of butter and a pinch of sugar if you want to sweeten your potato before you eat it. For a spicier touch, add a light dusting of taco seasoning.