Baked Sweet Potato for Dinner Tonight
There are easy ways to stuff a Baked Sweet Potato for dinner tonight! Bake and serve with your favorite toppings, such as chives, bacon, and sour cream!
Hello Friends, what’s for dinner tonight? Have you thought about serving an easy baked sweet potato for dinner?
Are you getting used to this new normal of ours? Where eating out was once a national pastime, eating in has now become a new normal—every single night.
Baked Sweet Potato for Dinner Tonight
So naturally I love this post today, how to make a Baked Sweet Potato, with simple toppings (sour cream, bacon, and chives), I think it’s one of my favorite meals.
Bake until sweet potatoes are tender and caramelized—the base of the potatoes often start to get sticky and brown with caramelization near the end of baking—delicious!
We’re doing our best to enjoy healthy, homemade meals, and are trying to be as grateful as can be for this season we are all in.
Ingredients for baked sweet potatoes
- Sweet potatoes
- Bacon (optional if you want to make this dinner vegetarian)
- Sour cream
- Chopped chives
What is the difference between yams and sweet potatoes?
A sweet potato is more reddish-brown, and a yam is more yellow-brown.
Bacon, Chive, and Sour Cream Sweet Potatoes
Bake until tender, or until a fork inserted in the thickest part has no resistance, 45 to 50 minutes. Let cool, then split the tops open with a knife.
Whether you’re serving this Baked Sweet Potato for dinner (or serving it on an Epic Sweet Potato Dinner Board), or you’re making baked potatoes for my Baked Potato Dinner Board—potatoes are delish for a family meal.
My friend, Skinnytaste, has a great recipe for Crockpot Baked Potatoes, too! A great recipe for a hot summer day without heating up the house.
Do you wrap potatoes in foil to bake?
Some say wrapping potatoes in aluminum foil helps them cook faster (aluminum conducts heat, then traps it), and it does keep them hot for longer once they come out of the oven, which is why we think restaurants use this method. Wrapping potatoes will also give you a softer, steamed skin, if that’s what you like.
How do I make a baked potato?
- Wash and dry sweet potatoes, leaving the skin on.
- Using a fork, poke holes all around the potato (a couple pokes per side should do the trick).
- Place potatoes on the lined sheet and place in oven. Bake until sweet potatoes are tender and caramelized (the base of the potatoes often start to get sticky and brown with caramelization near the end of baking—delicious!)
- Allow the potatoes to sit for about 15 minutes before serving.
Should you poke sweet potatoes before baking?
Yes! In all honesty, I’ve never had a potato explode, but they can. Poking holes helps steam to escape! Using a fork, poke holes all around the potato (a couple pokes per side should do the trick).
Can you eat the skin of a baked sweet potato?
Yes, the skin of a sweet potato is edible and adds nutrition, such as fiber and potassium. Also, baking them is a better choice than boiling, because you can eat the skin! We like the crispiness, too!
How to serve with bacon and sour cream
When the potatoes are done, bake or cook your bacon. We love this Best Oven Baked Bacon recipe!
Cut cooked bacon into large pieces and prepare your potatoes by cutting them down the middle.
Serve with a dollop of sour cream on the side for dipping—or directly on the potato, with a sprinkle of chives and bacon!
ENJOY!
Get the Recipe:
Baked Sweet Potato for Dinner Tonight
Ingredients
- 6 sweet potatoes
- 6 strips bacon, cooked and chopped
- 1/2 c sour cream for serving
- 1/3 c finely chopped chives
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 450 degrees F with the rack placed in the center of the oven. Line a large baking sheet with foil.
- Wash and dry sweet potatoes, leaving the skins on.
- Using a fork, poke holes all around the potato (a couple pokes per side should do the trick).
- Place potatoes on the lined sheet and place in oven. Bake for 65-80 minutes (depending on the size of your sweet potatoes), or until sweet potatoes are tender and caramelized (the base of the potatoes often start to get sticky and brown with caramelization near the end of baking—delicious!)
- Allow the potatoes to sit for 15 minutes before serving. During this time, the potato cools and deflates—the skin will detach, making them very easy to peel.
- Bake or cook bacon on stovetop. Cut into pieces.
- If baking, reduce oven temperature to 400 degrees F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper. Lay out your bacon strips on the sheet pan in an even layer, making sure to leave space in between each strip. Bake in the oven for 15-22 minutes, depending on the thickness of the bacon and desired crispiness (more time equals more crisp, obviously).
- When bacon is done, cut into large pieces and prepare your potatoes by cutting them down the middle. Serve with a dollop of sour cream on the side for dipping, or directly on the potato, and add a sprinkle of chives and bacon!
The sweet potato recipe looks delicious! I have never thought to dress a sweet potato like a baked russet, with sour cream and chives – usually just use butter. Will give this a go! Now that we aren’t entertaining friends & family we have found it nice to dress up our dinner for 2 meals. Hope you and your family and staying healthy!