The All-New Sweet Potato Casserole | Recipe
- Kelly Anthony
- Nov 9, 2016
- 3 min read
A Southern classic featuring roasted sweet potatoes, warm spices, marshmallows and candied pecans.
Rather than peeling, chopping and boiling sweet potatoes per the usual method for this casserole, I opted to take the easy way out: Roasting. Not only does this method cut back on the busy work, allowing us to do more important things (like have a glass of Chianti), but roasting also brings out the natural sugars in the sweet potatoes, meaning we can use far less in our recipe. Bonus.
If I am being perfectly honest, even as a child, sweet potato casserole was too sweet for my liking, and that's a pretty big statement coming from a gal with seriously demanding sweet tooth. I never really understood the reasoning behind loading sweet potato casserole down with sugar in the first place. I mean, they are naturally....sweet. Plus, the casserole is kind of topped with marshmallows. So that being said, I opted for a more "savory" route when it came to creating this recipe. And boy, oh boy...did it pay off.
Like I said before, roasting the potatoes brings out all the natural sugars we truly need for the base, then I added a touch of creme fraiche for a bit of tang, along with some butter and cream for added richness. Here come the marshmallows, and then the whole thing is topped with candied pecans purposely made with a salty finish. And while the casserole as a whole is certainly still on the sweet side, we now have balance. The key to any great dish.
For the Quick-Candied Pecans:
2 tablespoons Water
2/3 cups Brown Sugar
2 cups Whole Pecans
1 teaspoon Kosher or Falk Salt
Have ready a Silpat or a large sheet of wax paper.
Add the water and brown sugar to a large sauté pan over medium-high heat and allow the mixture to rapidly simmer for 2 minutes, stirring constantly. Add the pecans and stir 1 minute more.
Carefully, transfer the pecans to the Silpat and working very quickly sprinkle with salt. If necessary, begin separating the pecans while still warm using two forks to pull them apart. Set aside and allow to completely cool.
*You could also use store-bought candied pecans.
For the Casserole:
8 Sweet Potatoes, scrubbed clean
2 1/2 tablespoons Canola Oil
2 Eggs, room temperature, beaten
4 tablespoons Unsalted Butter, room temperature
1/3 cup Heavy Whipping Cream
1/3 cup Creme Fraiche
2 teaspoons Vanilla Extract
1 teaspoon Kosher Salt
1 teaspoon Ground Allspice
Pinch of Ground Cloves
15 ounces (1 1/2 bags) Jet-Puffed Marshmallows
Preheat oven to 400° and have ready a greased 9x13” casserole dish.
Coat sweet potatoes evenly with canola oil. On a rimmed baking sheet, roast sweet potatoes at 400° for 50 minutes, or until fork tender. Remove from the oven and set aside until cool enough to handle.
Reduce oven temperature to 350°.
Transfer the flesh of the sweet potatoes to a large mixing bowl. Add eggs, butter, cream, creme fraiche, vanilla, salt, nutmeg and cloves to the bowl as well. Using a handheld mixer on medium-low speed, or a sturdy whisk, beat the mixture until smooth and evenly combined.
Transfer mixture to a casserole dish, spread into an even layer, cover with aluminum foil, and bake for 20 minutes.
Take casserole out of the oven, remove foil and carefully place marshmallows across the top of the sweet potatoes in even rows. Apply gentle pressure to the top and press the marshmallows slightly into the filling. Bake for 10 minutes more. If you are using a broiler-safe dish and you’d prefer the marshmallows to be toasty on top, turn on the broiler and watch closely. Do not step away, as they will quickly burn.
Remove from the oven and immediately scatter atop the candied pecans. Allow to set for 10-15 minutes before serving.
Serves 12-16
Would pair well with:
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