Superb!! OK..I changed some things...added some things..made it MUCH BETTER!!! I am from Louisiana...so I grew up eating sweet potatoes year round. But holiday time always mean Sweet potato Casserole..this one is the closest to how my granny and mom made it. I used 3 BAKED sweet potatoes (I often double the recipe). For a single recipe I cut the sugar down to 1/4 cup and I double the vanilla up to 1 tsp. I use evaporated milk instead of regular milk. I add 1 tsp of cinnmon, 1/4 tsp of both ground clove and ground nutmeg. For the topping..I double the recipe even on the single recipe. Does that make sense?? LOL ENJOY!!!!
I am 50 years old and my family has made basically this same casserole all my life - it's very common in the South. A TIP: it's much more flavorful if you use baked sweet potatoes - baked for at least 1.5 to 2 hours to bring out their full flavor - than if you boil them. It's also a lot easier - just cut the cooked potatoes in half and scoop out their goodness - no peeling! And do not substitute other nuts for pecans. It's just not the same without the true southern nut meant for sweet potatoes!
Yummy is right!! I made this today as a trial run for Thanksgiving (and this will be the dish I am taking!). I baked my potatoes (3-medium sized) for 1 hour. I cut them and placed into my food processor with the other ingredients (and I doubled the vanilla to 1 tsp). This came out so so so smooth - it's a wonderful texture.
I doubled the topping and it was plenty (maybe could use a bit more even) as soon as I took it from the oven I had to try it and it's delicious! I used evaporated milk instead of regular milk.
**If you boil your potatoes, you leave the skin on and peel when they're done.
*UPDATE* I made this again with canned sweet potatoes and while it was good it isn't AS good as fresh baked potatoes. I suggest if you want to impress your guests stick to the baked potatoes, it's more work BUT so worth it. Plus with canned potatoes it was runny and not whipped - we didn't care for that.
I made this for the first time this Thanksgiving based on all the positive reviews here, and my family loved it! The recipe claims it serves 12, but we finished it off with only 8 people, so I'd recommend making extra if you are serving a hungry crowd.
I found that baking the sweet potatoes helped them retain a better flavor than boiling them. I put 5 large sweet potatoes on a cookie sheet in a 375F oven for about 1 1/4 hours. Then I sliced them in half and used a potholder to squeeze the potatoes. The insides popped right out of the skin; I didn't even need a spoon.
Oh, and if you think the recipe would be improved by doubling the amount of pecan/butter/sugar topping, I'd recommend against it. It will taste delicious, but you'll end up with unappetizing pools of butter on the top.
I did the following....just microwaved my potatoes until fully cooked and then sliced them and placed cut side down into an 8X11 pan. I combinded the topping ingredients (flour, sugar, butter and nuts) and crumbled it on top of the potatoes and baked for 20 minutes....TO DIE FOR...and much lower in fat and calories than making the "casserole". You might want to note that the topping does NOT spread (the flour prevents it) so how ever you top it...that's how it will look when it comes out of the oven. Just wanted to let you know being I thought it would melt and spread a bit...but it does not! Very good recipe, will make again!
This is a wonderful recipe with a few minor tweeks... Start with baking 6 sweet potatos (ensure that they are the same size so the consistentcy is the same as they cook), instead of boiling. Add 1/2-1 tsp of cinnamon, 1/2 tsp nutmeg, 1/4 tsp ground cloves to the sweet potatoes as you mash them. Use 3/4 to 1 cup of evaporated milk instead of regular. Use 1 tsp of vanilla. Double ALL of the ingredients for the pecan topping and give the pecans a rough chop so there aren't any big pieces. Add 1/2 tsp of cinnamon to the topping mixture.~~~ If you try it this way, you will never make another sweet potato casserole dish. This makes the BEST sweet potato casserole ever! Happy eating and enjoy!
This was great. Roasting the yams whole in foil for an hour or so depending on the size of your yams gives awesome flavor instead of boiling...
The family gobbled this up!!!
This is a good start, but as the previuos reviewer suggested, you MUST roast the sweet potatos..it brings out all the natural sugars and sweetness. Now here is my addition...the last 15 minutes you are roasting the potatos, put whole bananas, skin on, and roast them for 15 minutes until they turn black. The bananas roast in their own skin and oils and become like banana pudding. Add that to the puree, with a touch of maple syrup for sweetness. Guaranteed to please!
Made this recipe twice with great results! Used brown sugar instead of white and added 1 tsp each of cinnamon and nutmeg. We like it cold, too!
I made the recipe to test it out prior to making it for a party and I just didn't find the recipe very enjoyable. Also it felt more like I was baking then cooking. Something about the entire casserole was far too sweet. I normally love sweet potatoes but I don't know if I did something wrong or if it's just the recipe. I did as someone said and baked the sweet potatoes I may have baked them a little too long though.. Thanks for the experience but this recipe just didn't cut it for me..
