Sweet Potato Casserole

Sweet potato casserole is a fantastic edition to any holiday menu!!  It's definitely one of my favorite dishes to make now.  So many years I went to Thanksgiving and other holiday feasts where the person who contributed the sweet potato dish came up with this bland from the can puree with nuts mixed in and topped with marshmallows.  Not that I did not enjoy it, however when you decide to try a homemade sweet potato casserole that actually consists of flavorful ingredients that make your sweet potatoes go boom pow in your mouth, you'll never want to go back to eating that can of sweet potato puree covered in marshmallows.  I just pulled mine out of the oven and it's so tempting to dive in now!
 
I'm not sure how large the ones you have there are, but the ones here are to me about a medium size and so it's about 8 sweet potatoes to come up with about 8 cups give or take a little.  I've never weighed them out or I'd tell you that, I just eyeball it. =)  Also do not forget to take your butter out of the refrigerator about half an hour to an hour before you want to use it so it will be soft and workable!
 

Ingredients:

Casserole:
8 Cups Quartered Fresh Sweet Potatoes
1 Stick (8 Tbls) Softened Butter (I prefer unstalted.)
2 Eggs
3/4 Cup White Sugar
1/4 Cup Orange Juice (I use 1 Fresh Orange for juice.)
1/4 Cup Milk or Cream
1 Tsp Vanilla
1/2 Tsp Salt
1/2 Tsp Cinnamon
1/4 Tsp Nutmeg
1 Cup Pecans (Optional)
 
Topping:

1 Cup Brown Sugar
2/3 Cup Flour
Couple of dashes of cinnamon.
6 Tbls Softened Butter (Again I prefer unsalted.)

Directions:

First up you want to wash the sweet potatoes.  Then cut the ends off of your sweet potatoes and cut the the potatoes into quarters. Put them in a big pot, peels still on, cover with cold water and then bring them to a boil.  Boil until they are tender, mashing consistency, and the peels are starting to pull away.  (Some people prefer the flavor of baked over boiled, if that is you go for it!)

Drain the water and let them cool until you are able to handle them, about 15-20 minutes.  Pull the peels away and cut out any eyes (hard black spots). 

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

In a large bowl mash the sweet potatoes.

 

Add butter, mash or stir it in until it's pretty much completely incorporated into your potatoes.

Add the rest of your ingredients except for the pecans and stir well.

Spread the sweet potato mixture into a 9x13 baking dish.  (I like to do a light spray of canola oil into the baking dish before adding the mixture for easier clean up later, but it is not necessary.

Top with pecans.











Now mix your brown sugar, cinnamon and flour for the topping.  Then use a fork to turn in the butter into the dry ingredients until they are completely mixed and a nice moosh.

Sprinkle the topping over the top of the pecans. If you like less crunch and sugar on top only make a half recipe of the topping.

Bake for about 30-35 minutes until the topping is crispy and starting to brown.

Some people just prefer marshmallows, if that is you, skip the topping, throw on your marshmallows and cook until they are melting and starting to brown.

A couple of years ago I was actually requested to make a sweet potato casserole with  marshmallows covered in a crispy topping... hmmm!  I did my best, I covered it with mini marshmallows. Mixed roughly guessing now (I did not write it down) 1/4 cup brown sugar, 1/4 cup white sugar, 1/4 cup flour, and about 2 tbls of butter, creating a more granulated mixture. Sprinkled over the top and this is what came out.  It was actually devoured by all and insanely praised.  One of those things I'm not sure if I'd ever be able to recreate! =)

I hope you and your guests enjoy!
 
Much Love!   And Happy Thanksgiving Eve!!