Sweet Potato Casserole with Sweet Pecan topping
With Christmas coming up next week, I thought I would share one of my favorite holiday meal side dishes… Sweet Potato Casserole! Made from whole sweet potatoes (or yams), this dish is rich and satisfying… and perfect for a cold winter evening!
I like to make this with a crunch pecan & brown sugar topping. Feel free to substitute with a different type of nut (like walnuts) if you like… you can also leave the nuts out if you prefer (but I like them – I think they add a nice texture to the dish).
You can prepare this dish in advance! Usually the night before a dinner party, I bake and mash the sweet potatoes, then make the casserole as if I was going to bake it right away… but instead just cover with foil and refrigerate overnight. The next day, remove from the refrigerator for 30 minutes (to remove the chill), then bake as directed.
Sweet Potato Casserole:
- 5 regular sized sweet potatoes or yams
- 1/4 c. unsalted butter, melted.
- 1 1/2 tsp. salt
- 1 c. brown sugar
Topping:
- 1/2 c. brown sugar
- 3/4 c. chopped pecans (or walnuts)
1. Wrap each sweet potato individually with foil. Bake at 375 degrees for 1 to 1 1/2 hours until soft. (Give them a gentle squeeze with your hand wrapped in a pot holder or towel – it should feel squishy/soft – not hard.) Remove to counter to cool several hours. (My picture shows only 4 sweet potatoes because one of them was on the smaller side, and I removed that one 20 minutes earlier.)
2. Unwrap the cooked sweet potato, and remove the skin. (The skin should be really easy to peel off at this point.)
3. Put the peeled cooked sweet potato into a large bowl and mash until smooth.
4. Add the salt and brown sugar, and mix until combined.
5. Stir in the melted butter.
6. Spread the mixture into a 9″ X 13″ baking dish.
7. Top with chopped nuts and brown sugar. (You can make this ahead of time – after topping with nuts and brown sugar, cover and refrigerate for up to the day ahead. Remove from the refrigerator and bring to room temperature before heating in the oven.)
8. Cover with foil and bake at 350 degrees for 25-30 minutes until hot and steaming. Serve immediately.
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