Absolutely the talk of our Thanksgiving dinner! Out with boring sweet potatoes and the sticky sweet marshmallow topping...this recipe is going to be a family tradition. The only thing I changed was the preparation of the potatoes: Bake those bad boys for 1.25 hours on a baking sheet at 325 degrees. Then follow the recipe exactly...perfection. I did use pecans instead of pistachios but to each his own on that.
I made this for Thanksgiving, and it was a winner! Here are a few comments that might help other people: I substituted a lemon juice & milk mix for buttermilk (just google "buttermilk substitute" and you'll easily find that simple recipe). I used dark brown sugar instead of light brown, and whole wheat flour. I used a casserole dish with an 8" radius (smaller than the baking dish shown in the video) and I needed only about half the pistachio-nut mixture to cover the top, so I'm freezing the other half to use when I make the dish the next time. And one final word, perhaps mainly for novice cooks like me: The raw sweet potatoes were HARD to cut! Don't cut them the long ways first, as shown in the video -- my knife got stuck when I did that. Better to cut the short way through first so you can get some leverage with the knife. They were so hard to cut that I actually nicked my fingers twice -- so use caution when cutting them.
But anyway the dish got raves from folks at our Thanksgiving table.
I have made this for our holiday meals for two years now. It has been specifically been requested for our family get together for Thanksgiving again this year. I make it exactly as written except that I use a little more vanilla extract and I have to use a gluten-free all-purpose flour. I use King Arthur's multipurpose flour and it comes out great. I usually use the pistachios, but have also used pecans and both are delicious. We love it. The pinch of cayenne may sound weird to some, especially if you're new to Chef John's recipes, but don't question it, just do it.
The topping is genius - so good. Husband is allergic to pecans so works out well for us. The potato mixture is not overly sweet, very tasty but could use more butter to make it a little richer tasting. I will save this for sure.
Good recipe liked it a lot as others last thanksgiving (2013).... easier for me to bake the sweet potatoes then scoop out the flesh... my opinion is that the sweets are tastier and easier to handle. You'll see it is the way to go.
Everyone raved about this dish. I did not have buttermilk so I used one-fourth of a cup Greek yogurt instead. I also used pecans on top. It was such a nice change from the marshmallows. Great recipe!
I did half pistachio and half pecan for the topping!
I tried this recipe because it was a healthier version of this casserole. I thought it lacked depth of flavor. It was good just not great.
I am also a fan of Chef John and love to watch his video demos. This dish is amazingly delicious and the pistachios really go well with it. Will be making it again tonight!
