Sweet potatoes are a holiday staple. But if you don’t like the traditional candied sweet potatoes you have to hunt for new options. The best one we found was this classic casserole. It wasn’t as sweet but was still plenty sweet for those who like it that way. Also, it goes well with the more savory turkey and dressing.
It begins with five sweet potatoes which need to be peeled, chopped into chunks, and cooked. There are several options for cooking. The recipes call for them to be baked and then skinned and chopped. But we peeled them first, cut them into pieces, and steamed them. You also could boil them like any other potato.
When those are cooking, preheat the oven to 350 F and lightly grease a casserole dish or 9 x 13 baking dish. When the potatoes are cooked, mash them and begin adding your other components. Add in 1/4 teaspoon of salt, a teaspoon of vanilla extract, 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon, 1/2 cup sugar, 2 tablespoons cream or milk, 1/4 cup melted butter, and 2 eggs lightly beaten. Mix all that together in a large bowl. Put the mixture into your baking dish.
Make a topping using 1/4 cup softened butter, 3 tablespoons of flour, and 3/4 cup light brown sugar. Using the tips of your fingers, blend these ingredients into a crumbly mix. Stir in 1/2 cup chopped pecans. Evenly spread the topping over your casserole dish. Bake for 30 minutes until the top is crisp and lightly browned.
Sugar substitute works well here, and you can replace the melted butter with extra virgin olive oil.
