High-Heat Caramelized Baked Sweet Potatoes

By Sprig Originals ✓ · cooked up in Sprig

A 425°F bake on a foil-lined sheet pushes sweet potatoes past soft into genuinely caramelized — the sugars bubble out through the skin and candy on the pan. No microwave, no foil wrapping, no steaming. Finished with brown butter (or olive oil), flaky salt and a squeeze of lime for a side that eats like dessert but sits next to roast chicken.

Ingredients

• 4 medium sweet potatoes (about 10-12 oz each), preferably Garnet or Jewel
• 2 tsp neutral oil, such as grapeseed or vegetable
• 1 tsp kosher salt

• 4 tbsp unsalted butter (or good olive oil for a vegan version)
• 1/2 tsp flaky sea salt
• 1/4 tsp freshly ground black pepper
• 1 lime, cut into wedges

• 2 tbsp thinly sliced scallions or chives
• 1/4 tsp cayenne or chipotle powder
• 2 tbsp toasted pecans, roughly chopped
• 1/4 cup sour cream or plain Greek yogurt

Instructions

1. Position a rack in the center of the oven and heat to 425°F. Line a rimmed baking sheet with heavy-duty foil — the syrup that leaks out will bake on hard, and the foil saves your pan. Do not grease the foil or add a rack; direct contact with hot metal is what caramelizes the bottoms.
2. Scrub the sweet potatoes well under cold water and dry them thoroughly with a towel. Wet skins steam instead of crisping. Trim off any stringy ends.
3. Pierce each potato 4 or 5 times with a fork or the tip of a paring knife — enough to vent steam, not enough to drain all the juice. Rub each one with about 1/2 teaspoon of neutral oil, coating the skin completely, then sprinkle all over with the kosher salt.
4. Set the potatoes directly on the foil with at least 2 inches between them. Do not wrap them in foil and do not cover the pan; you want dry heat. Bake for 30 minutes.
5. Flip each potato with tongs and rotate the pan front to back. Bake another 20 to 30 minutes, until the skins are wrinkled and slack, dark syrup has bubbled out onto the foil and started to blacken at the edges, and a paring knife slides into the thickest part with no resistance. A larger potato may need up to 70 minutes total — undercooked sweet potato tastes starchy, so err long. Internal temperature should read 205 to 210°F.
6. While the potatoes finish, brown the butter: melt it in a small light-colored skillet over medium heat, swirling constantly. After 3 to 5 minutes it will foam, then quiet down, and the milk solids will turn golden-brown and smell nutty. Immediately pour it into a heatproof bowl, scraping in the browned bits, so it stops cooking. (For a vegan version, simply warm the olive oil.)
7. Let the potatoes rest on the pan for 5 minutes — they firm up just enough to handle and the interior finishes setting. Slit each one lengthwise and press gently on the ends so the flesh puffs open.
8. Spoon the brown butter into the splits, then finish with flaky salt, black pepper and a hard squeeze of lime. Scatter on scallions, cayenne, pecans or a spoon of sour cream as you like, and serve hot. Scrape up any candied syrup from the foil and drape it over the top — that's the best part.

Chef's tips

Nutrition (per serving, estimated)

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