Cooking: Sweet Potato Casserole

My time in Georgia gave me a definite tooth for sweet potatoes, but my family is very resistant to trying these treats. I was about to give up when my sister tried this casserole not knowing what it was...and she LOVED it! It's really easy to make, takes about 2 and a half hours from start to finish, and makes about 10 servings. It's really rich and sweet, so the serving size is fairly small.

Makes 10 servings
Preparation time: 2.5 hours

Ingredients
Casserole:
3 cups mashed sweet potatoes
1 cup brown sugar
2 eggs, lightly beaten
1 tsp vanilla
1/2 cup milk
1/2 cup melted butter*

Topping:
1/2 cup brown sugar
1/3 cup flour
1/3 cup melted butter*
1 cup chopped pecans

*I substituted margarine for butter.

Preparation

Wash and skin the potatoes. Dice them into about 1 inch cubes.

Put the potatoes in a pot and add enough water to cover them. Bring to a boil for about 25 minutes or until soft.

Drain the potatoes, put them back in the pot, and mash 'em up! It should be really easy. If you have to press hard, consider boiling them another minute or two.

 

In a medium mixing bowl, combine all casserole ingredients. I used an electric mixer on low, but you could probably use a spoon. Pour mixture into a lightly greased (or PAM sprayed) 1-1/2 to 2 qt casserole dish. Forgot to take a picture of this part, sorry!

At this point I started the oven preheating to 350 degrees. While it's heating, prepare your topping!

The topping calls for chopped pecans. You could buy them chopped or chop them yourself, but I've found the easiest method for me is to "mash" them. To do this, you first put the pecans in a gallon baggie.

Using a rolling pin, hammer, or other blunt object, pound on the pecans until most of them are in small pieces. This is a great stress or frustration reliever! Take THAT, stupid dial-up internet! ;-)

 

In a small mixing bowl, combine topping ingredients. Sprinkle the mixture over the top of the casserole. There should be plenty, but if you have some "blank" spots, add some more pecans to fill them in.

 Put the casserole in the oven at 350 degrees for about 30-40 minutes. The top should be golden brown and crispy. This casserole is best when served same-day, but it reheats relatively well.

Hope you enjoy this yummy dish, and feel free to comment with questions or variations you tried! ^_^