Salt Roasted Sweet Potatoes
Salt Baked Sweet Potatoes are deliciously tender on the inside with a crispy and salty skin. Herbs and garlic add delicious flavor to this traditional side dish!
Unlike my Sweet Potato Casserole and Candied Yams, this cooking method yields savory-flavored sweet potatoes that make the perfect side dish for Turkey dinners and Crockpot Ribs!
As delicious sweet potatoes taste with butter and brown sugar, other seasonings can bring out their natural sweetness. If you’re in charge of side dishes this holiday season, try making TWO sweet potato recipes — one sweet, one savory!
How To Make Salt Baked Sweet Potatoes:
Step 1: Preheat oven to 450 degrees F and add salt to a large rimmed baking sheet or 9×13-inch baking dish.
Step 2: Clean and dry sweet potatoes and then place them in a single layer on top of the salt, pressing them down into it.
Step 3: Slice the end off of a bulb of garlic and place it sliced side up in the pan with the sweet potatoes.
Step 4: Add rosemary and thyme (or other desired herbs) to the pan around the potatoes.
Step 5: Brush the potatoes with canola oil.
Step 6: Cover the pan with aluminum foil and bake for 1 hour. Then remove the foil, discard the herbs and set the garlic to the side. Brush the potatoes with the remaining oil and bake for an additional 15 minutes of baking time.
Recipe Tips:
- I use canola oil instead of olive oil and really liked the results because when cooked at high temperatures over a long period of time, olive oil can turn butter. Vegetable oil will also work.
- Use sea salt instead of kosher salt for better flavor.
- Coarse salt is easier to use because it brushes off the skin easier than fine salt.
- Use the leftover roasted garlic to spread on dinner rolls or as a topping on your sweet potatoes.
What Is Salt Baking/Roasting?
This is a method of cooking in which protein or vegetables are covered and cooked in a layer of salt. As the dish bakes, it forms a salt crust that seals in moisture and flavor.
However, your meal won’t give you a sodium overload because the main components are removed from the salt layer/crust before serving. While this technique is traditionally used on fish, it also makes root vegetables (like sweet potatoes) extra tender and tasty!
When you make Salted Baked Potatoes, they come out crispy-skinned on the outside and tender and moist on the inside. This easy veggie recipe is one you’ll come back to again and again!
Are Baked Sweet Potatoes Healthy?
Sweet potatoes are packed with fiber and nutrients like calcium, iron, vitamin C, and B vitamins. It’s add-ons like butter and sugar that aren’t so healthy … but calories don’t count during the holidays, amirite?
How Long Are Baked Potatoes Good For?
If stored in an airtight container in the refrigerator, sweet potatoes will last for 3 to 5 days. I recommend reheating in the oven if you want to maintain the skin. However, if you’re just scooping out the flesh, you can reheat in the microwave.
How To Serve Roasted Sweet Potatoes:
If you’re looking to add more flavor, there are tons of ways you can dress up sweet potatoes with different garnishes — both sweet and savory! Here are some of my favorites:
- Brown sugar
- Ground cinnamon
- Pumpkin pie spice
- Candied pecans
- Whipped cinnamon butter
- Sour cream
- Herb butter
- Chives
- Rosemary
- Bacon crumbles
- Salt and pepper
- Grated Parmesan
Salt Baked Sweet Potatoes
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Salt Baked Sweet Potatoes
Ingredients
- 2 cups coarse sea salt1,2
- 4 medium sweet potatoes cleaned and dried
- 1 garlic bulb3
- 4 rosemary sprigs
- 4 thyme sprigs
- 2 tablespoons canola oil4
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 450°F and add salt to a large lipped baking dish, I usually use a 9×13-inch baking pan. Make sure salt is evenly spread over the surface.
- Add the potatoes to the salt, nestling them into it.
- Slice the top of the bulb of garlic off and place it cut side up in the pan.
- Add herbs around the potatoes.
- Brush the potatoes all over the exposed skin with canola oil.
- Cover with aluminum foil and bake for 1 hour. Remove aluminum foil and herbs and set the garlic to the side, then brush the potatoes with the remaining oil and bake for an additional 15 minutes.
Notes
- Use sea salt instead of kosher salt for better flavor.
- Coarse salt is easier to use because it brushes off the skin easier than fine salt.
- The roasted garlic can be used as a topping for the potatoes or to spread on rolls.
- I use canola oil instead of olive oil and really liked the results because when cooked at high temperatures over a long period of time, olive oil can turn butter. Vegetable oil will also work.
Nutrition
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The recipe was slightly adapted from Better Homes and Gardens Magazine in November 2018.
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