This is a great sweet potato casserole recipe, common in the southern United States for Thanksgiving and other special occasions. I am not a fan of the super sweet, marshmallow topped sweet potato casseroles that are common here, so this is a more savory and less sweet version. Don’t get me wrong, it still has plenty of sweetness, but also has the great fall spice flavor that stands out. Baking the potatoes instead of boiling first helps prevent a watery casserole that could come from boiling, and baking gives the potatoes a nice texture.
TIPS: Be sure to weigh your sweet potatoes to get 5 lbs. Because the sizes vary so much I cannot say how many potatoes you need. This casserole can be made a day ahead. Just refrigerate the casserole and the topping separately. When ready to bake, top the casserole with the crumb topping and bake as instructed.
Sweet Potato Casserole
Ingredients
Filling:
- 5 lbs sweet potatoes (skins scrubbed clean)
- 1/2 C (1 stick) plus more for the pan (cut into pieces)
- 2/3 C granulated sugar
- 1/2 C light brown sugar
- 1/2 C honey
- 2 tsp pure vanilla extract
- 1 3/4 tsp kosher salt
- 3/4 tsp grated nutmeg
- 3 large eggs lightly beaten
- 2 1/2 C hot milk
Crumb Topping:
- 1 C flour
- 1 C light brown sugar
- 1/2 tsp grated nutmeg
- 1/2 tsp cinnamon
- 1/4 tsp kosher salt
- 1/2 C (1 stick) butter cut into 1/2 inch pieces and chilled
- 1 C coarsely chopped pecans
Instructions
Filling:
- Heat the oven to 350 degrees. Poke a few holes in the sweet potatoes with the tip of a knife to allow steam to escape. Spread the potatoes on a rimmed baking sheet lined with foil and bake for about 1 1/2 hours until fork tender. Remove from oven but leave oven on. Let cool for about 10 minutes then peel the skin and place flesh in a large bowl.
- Beat the hot potatoes on low speed with a mixer. Beat in the butter. Add the sugars, 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 beat in the hot milk.
- Heat oven to 375 degrees. Butter a 13X9X2 casserole dish and pour in the potato mixture. Spread into an even layer. (At this point the potatoes can be refrigerated for up to 1 day. Bring to room temperature before proceeding).
Crumb Topping:
- In a large bowl add the flour, brown sugar, nutmeg, cinnamon and salt. Add the cold butter pieces and rub with your hands or cut in with a pastry cutter until the mixture resembles coarse meal. Stir in the pecans. (At this point the topping can be refrigerated separately from the potatoes for up to one day).
Assemble and Bake:
- Sprinkle the topping over the potatoes. Bake for 1 hour until the topping is golden brown and crisp. (If the topping gets too brown around the edges before the center is crisped, cut a hole in a large piece of foil and rest it on the dish to finish baking). Remove from oven and serve hot.
- Enjoy!