Sweet Potato Casserole
Sweet potato casserole is a big favorite among my family. This recipe comes from Food and Wine from November of 1998. A lot of the recipes I will share on this blog will not be that of my own, but I think it is really important to not only find amazing recipes, but to “revive” lost ones. This recipe specifically is amazing. The base of the casserole is a velvety sweet potato blend, topped with a crunchy pecan layer. This is a great holiday recipe that I strongly enourage you to try!
Ingredients:
Sweet Potatoes:
5 pounds sweet potatoes (about 10)
1 stick (4 ozs) unsalted butter
2/3 cup granulated sugar
1⁄2 cup light brown sugar
1/2 cup honey
2 t pure vanilla extract
1 3/4 t salt
3/4 t freshly grated nutmeg
3 large eggs, lightly beaten
2 1/2 cups hot milk
Topping:
1 cup flour
1 cup light brown sugar
1⁄2 t cinnamon
1⁄2 t freshly grated nutmeg
1⁄4 t salt
1 stick (4 oz) unsalted butter – cut into 1⁄2” dice and chilled
1 cup (4oz) coarsely chopped pecans
Make the sweet potatoes: Preheat oven to 350. Spread the sweet potatoes on a rimmed baking sheet and bake for 1 1⁄2 hours, or until tender. Line baking sheet with foil for easy cleaning. Let cool slightly, about 10 minutes, then peel.
In a large bowl, beat the hot sweet potatoes on low speed. Beat in the butter. Add the granulated sugar, brown sugar, honey, vanilla, salt and nutmeg and beat until blended. Add the eggs and beat on medium speed for 2 minutes. Reduce the speed to low and gradually add the hot milk.
Preheat oven to 375. Butter a 13x9’ baking dish and pour in the sweet potatoes; spread in an even layer.
Make the topping: In a bowl, rub together the flour, brown sugar, cinnamon,
nutmeg and salt. Add the butter and rub or cut it in until the mixture resembles coarse meal. Stir in pecans.
Sprinkle the topping evenly over the potatoes and bake for 1 to 1 1⁄4 hours, until the topping is golden brown and crisp. If the topping browns too quickly around the edge before the center is crisped, cut a large hole in the center of a sheet of foil and rest it on the dish while it finishes baking. Serve hot.
Other tips:
You can make this recipe ahead if needed. The pureed sweet potatoes mixture and the topping can be refrigerated separately for up to 1 day. Bring to room temperature before proceeding.
In my experience that first layer with the topping is the best part, so you may like to split the recipe into two 9x9 square pans, so that the ratio of topping to sweet potatoes is more even.
