Step 1 of 4

Bake them well past tender

Heat the oven to 390°F. Prick the sweet potatoes all over, rub them with the olive oil and half the salt, and bake directly on a lined tray until they are collapsing and the sugars have leaked out and caramelized.

— Do not wrap them in foil. Foil steams them; the tray is what gives you the sticky, caught edges.