Buzz
Sweet potatoes are a delicious and nutritious food that can be transformed into a variety of side dishes. You can easily bake whole sweet potatoes in the oven or peel, cube, and roast them on a baking tray. Follow these simple steps, and you'll have a fantastic side dish ready in no time!
Ingredients
Whole Baked Sweet Potatoes
- Sweet potatoes (quantity as desired)
- Olive oil or vegetable oil (1-3 drops per potato)
Cubed Roasted Sweet Potatoes
- 1.5 kg peeled and cubed sweet potatoes
- 60 ml olive oil
- 2 teaspoons (10 g) salt
- ½ teaspoon (2.5 g) black pepper
Sugar-Glazed Roasted Sweet Potatoes
- 1 kg sweet potatoes
- 70 g brown sugar
- 3 tablespoons (45 g) butter or margarine
- 3 tablespoons (45 ml) water
- ½ teaspoon (2.5 g) salt
Crispy Fried Sweet Potatoes
- 0.5 kg sweet potatoes
- ½ cup (60 g) cornstarch
- 6 tablespoons (90 ml) soda water
- Canola oil or vegetable oil for frying
- Salt, to taste
Steps
Whole Baked Sweet Potatoes
Wash the sweet potatoes thoroughly and pierce them with a fork. Hold the sweet potatoes under running water and use a vegetable brush to scrub off any dirt. Pierce each potato with a fork to allow steam to escape during baking. Insert the fork about 1.5 cm deep into the flesh, making 6-12 holes around the entire surface. You can bake as many potatoes as you like.
Preheat the oven to 104°C and coat the potatoes with oil. Lightly brush each sweet potato with vegetable oil or olive oil. This step ensures the skin stays moist and tender. You can drizzle a few drops of oil on each potato and rub it evenly with your hands.
Loosely wrap each sweet potato in aluminum foil. Wrapping the potatoes loosely helps them cook evenly. Leave some space at both ends instead of wrapping tightly to allow steam to escape.
Bake the potatoes for 45 minutes. Place the foil-wrapped potatoes directly on the middle oven rack. After 45 minutes, check if they are done by carefully removing one potato using oven mitts, unwrapping it, and inserting a knife. If the knife slides in easily, the potato is cooked. If it’s still firm, continue baking in 5-minute intervals until tender.
Let the sweet potatoes sit in the oven for an additional 15 minutes after baking. Turn off the oven but leave the potatoes on the rack for 10-15 minutes. This ensures even cooking! Use oven mitts to remove them, as they will still be very hot.
Store sweet potatoes in the refrigerator or freezer in an airtight container. If you have leftover baked sweet potatoes, place them in a sealed container like Tupperware and refrigerate for up to 5 days. You can also freeze them for up to 6 months.
Cubed Roasted Sweet Potatoes
Peel the sweet potatoes and cut them into cubes. Use a vegetable peeler to remove the skin. With a sharp knife and cutting board, slice each potato in half, then cut each half into 4 cm thick slices, and finally dice them into 4 cm cubes.
Preheat the oven to 232°C and arrange the sweet potato cubes on a rimmed baking sheet. Using a rimmed sheet ensures the cubes won’t slide off when tossing. Spread the peeled and cubed sweet potatoes evenly across the tray.
Add olive oil, salt, and pepper to the sweet potatoes. Drizzle 60 ml of olive oil over the cubes and toss to coat evenly. Sprinkle 2 teaspoons (10 g) of salt and ½ teaspoon (2.5 g) of black pepper over the potatoes. Toss again to distribute the seasoning.
Roast the sweet potatoes for 35-45 minutes, stirring occasionally. Stir the cubes every 15 minutes to prevent sticking and ensure even browning. They are done when tender and golden brown.
Serve the sweet potatoes and store leftovers in the refrigerator for up to 5 days. Carefully remove the baking sheet from the oven and turn off the heat. Serve the roasted sweet potatoes as a side to your favorite main dish. Store any leftovers in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 5 days.
Sugar-Glazed Roasted Sweet Potatoes
Scrub the sweet potatoes clean. Hold each potato under running water and use a vegetable brush to remove any dirt from the skin. Pay special attention to crevices and hard-to-reach areas, ensuring they are thoroughly cleaned.
Place the sweet potatoes in a pot and cover them with water. You’ll need about 6 sweet potatoes or 1 kg. Wash them well but leave the skins on. Arrange the potatoes in the pot and add enough water to fully submerge them.
Bring the water to a boil, then reduce the heat. Set the stove to medium-high heat and wait for the water to boil, then lower the heat to a simmer.
Cover the pot and simmer the sweet potatoes for 25-35 minutes. Keeping the lid on traps heat and steam, speeding up the cooking process. The potatoes are done when a fork easily pierces through them.
Drain the water, let the sweet potatoes cool, and peel them. Carefully pour the potatoes into a colander to drain. Allow them to cool for about 10 minutes, then peel. The skins should come off easily with your hands.
Slice the sweet potatoes into 1.5 cm thick pieces. Use a sharp knife and cutting board to slice the potatoes into even 1.5 cm thick rounds. Aim for uniformity in thickness.
Combine brown sugar, butter, water, and salt in a skillet. A 25 cm skillet works well. You’ll need 70 g of brown sugar, 3 tablespoons (45 g) of butter or margarine, 3 tablespoons (45 ml) of water, and ½ teaspoon (2.5 g) of salt.
Heat the mixture, stirring constantly until smooth and bubbly. Continuously stir the brown sugar, butter, water, and salt until the ingredients blend together. It will take about 10 minutes for the mixture to bubble.
Add the sweet potatoes and stir for an additional 2-4 minutes. Gently place the sliced sweet potatoes into the skillet. Toss them lightly until the sugar and butter mixture coats each slice evenly. Turn off the heat once the potatoes are thoroughly heated and serve the glazed sweet potatoes.
Crispy Fried Sweet Potatoes
Wash and peel the sweet potatoes. You’ll need about 0.5 kg of sweet potatoes, equivalent to 2 large ones. Hold each potato under running water and scrub off any dirt using a vegetable brush. Next, use a peeler to remove the skins.
Heat the oil to 166-177°C. You can use a deep fryer or a cast-iron skillet for frying. Fill the skillet ¾ full with vegetable or canola oil. The amount of oil depends on the size of your skillet. Use fresh oil and heat it to 166-177°C.
Slice the sweet potatoes into 0.5 cm thick pieces. Cut each potato lengthwise, then slice each half into 0.5 cm thick pieces. Use a stable cutting board and a sharp knife for precise cuts.
Rinse and dry the sliced sweet potatoes. After slicing, rinse the potatoes and pat them dry with paper towels or a clean kitchen towel. This step removes excess starch and ensures crispier fries.
Coat the sweet potato slices in a mixture of soda water and cornstarch. Add ½ cup (60 g) of cornstarch and 6 tablespoons (90 ml) of soda water to a Ziploc bag. If soda water isn’t available, you can substitute it with cold water. Place the sweet potato slices in the bag, seal it, and shake until each slice is evenly coated.
Vanna Tran
Experienced Chef
Experienced Chef
Expert Tip: For fries that are fluffy inside and crispy outside, blanch the slices in salted water, then dry and freeze them. When ready to eat, coat the slices with cornstarch and fry until golden!
Fry the sweet potato slices for 2-4 minutes. Carefully fry in small batches, placing the coated slices into the deep fryer or cast-iron skillet. Fry for 2-4 minutes or until crispy and golden. Repeat with the remaining batches.
Sprinkle with salt if desired and serve. You can season the fries with salt, Old Bay seasoning, or even Cajun spices. Serve the crispy sweet potato fries with your favorite dipping sauce, such as ketchup or ranch. Store any leftovers in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 5 days.
Tips
- You can also boil sweet potatoes or microwave them. Boiled sweet potatoes can be mashed and used in various dishes.
- If you want to try something new, consider making sweet potato noodles.
What You’ll Need
- Vegetable brush
- Oven mitts or pot holders
- Fork (for baked potatoes)
- Aluminum foil (for baked potatoes)
- Vegetable peeler or paring knife (for cubed and fried potatoes)
- Rimmed baking sheet (for cubed potatoes)
- Cutting board and knife (for cubed, glazed, and fried potatoes)
- Lidded pot (for glazed potatoes)
- Colander (for glazed potatoes)
- Skillet (for glazed potatoes)
- Spoon or whisk (for glazed potatoes)
- Deep fryer or cast-iron skillet (for fried potatoes)
- Paper towels or kitchen towel (for fried potatoes)
- 4-liter Ziploc bag (for fried potatoes)
