Baked Sweet Potato

You want to use garnet yams, if you have a choice. Then be
 sure to cook them long enough that the sugar in the yams begins 
to squirt out and burn in a couple of spots. Each yam should be 
tender, but not mushy. The skin on the outside will turn from red
 to greyish-brown, and inside it will be a hearty shade of black. 

4 garnet yams
3 tablespoons granulated sugar 
1 1/2 teaspoons cinnamon 
1/2 cup whipped butter   

1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Bake yams for 45 to 75 minutes
 (bigger yams take longer to cook). When they are done, the outside
 will have darkened and the inside will be soft. You may see liquid
 from the potato oozing out and charring. When the potato is sliced
 open, the inside of the skin will be charred black from the 
caramelizing sugar in the potato. This is a perfectly cooked potato. 
3. To serve, slice a potato down the center. Add two tablespoons of
 whipped butter, then sprinkle some cinnamon/sugar over the top.
Makes 4 servings.