Whole Roasted Sweet Potatoes with Butter, Molasses, and Salt

Preparation

1. If I have the oven on anyway, I will throw a couple sweet potatoes in and let them bake at whatever temperature until they are done. To cook the sweet potatoes on their own, prick them a few times, lightly oil their skins, and place them directly on the top rack in a hot oven (400°F) with a pan placed below them on the next rack to catch any drips. Bake for 40 to 50 minutes, or until they are completely tender, slightly shrunken, with crisp skin. (For a quick—and more energy-efficient—meal for one, microwave a medium sweet potato on high power for 5 minutes; then turn it over and cook for another 4 to 5 minutes. Let it sit for a few minutes to collect itself.) Split the top, insert some butter, drizzle with a little molasses or sorghum, and add a generous sprinkle of kosher or sea salt. Save any surplus roasted potatoes for a mashed sweet potato side dish, to thicken a spicy shrimp chowder, or to add heft to a batch of buttermilk biscuits.