Simple Sweet Potatoes

One of my favorite sides to add to meals is a baked sweet potato. I used to only like them with marchmallows and sugar baked for Thanksgiving Dinner. But recently, I have started to try them without all that, and I stil love them just as much! They're perfect for my sweet tooth (sweets are my weakness) and they're also healthy and filling at the same time! I read an interesting post by somebody I follow on Instagram, Carter Good, about potatoes vs. sweet potatoes. I like it because it still shows that white potatoes have health benefits too, along with sweet potatoes (the ones we think are the most healthy)! For most meals, I have the main dish (meat) a vegetable, another side (rice, pasta, potatoes, or quinoa) and sometimes a fruit, and for me, it works out really well! I used to only use white or red potatoes, and recently added sweet potatoes into the routine and it has definately been a game changer to add a different flavor to our meals.

I like to cook them in tin foil, mostly out of habit. It's simple and they taste great! Sweet potatoes caramelize a bit while cooking, so whether you wrap them or not, put a layer of tin foil or a cookie sheet underneath them so it doesn't get your oven all dirty. I prep them just as regular potatoes: wash, poke holes with fork, wrap in tin foil. SO SIMPLE! I don't add oil or salt. You can make them the same without wrapping them too. I love baked potatoes because they don't really require a seperate dish to cook them in and that makes it a winner in my book! I don't like to add brown sugar to mine unless I'm eating them as a dessert, so I like to use cinnamon and honey as an extra sweetener. You can also add many other toppings, depending on how you want it to taste.

What You Need
Sweet potatoes
Tin foil
Optional toppings: honey, cinnamon, brown sugar, salt and pepper, sour cream, yogurt, or cheese

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 400℉
2. Wash potatoes
3. Use a fork and poke around the potato about four times
4. Wrap in tin foil
5. Place in oven with cookie sheet or tin foil underneath so they won't get dirty
6. Cook large potatoes for about 1 1/2 hours and small potatoes for about 1 hour 
7. Check every 30 min. to see how soft they are and depending on hwo you prefer them, add or decrease the time. They are finished when potato is soft and can "shred" but I prefer mine to be a little bit softer, so I add time to have an almost creamy texture
8. Add your favorite toppings and enjoy!