(Super) Sweet Potato Casserole

Time to roll the clock back a little, kids.  I'm gonna take you back to a time when temps were chilly, when turkeys were gobbling, and when pumpkin pie was king.

Okay, not really.  Although this is traditionally a cold weather holiday type of dish, I made it for Easter because, well, I need to play to my audience.  And many members of my audience love them some sweet potato casserole.

Including me.  The most important audience member of all.

So let's review the process of how to take a perfectly healthy and good-for-you food and turn it deadly.  Shall we?

First thing's first.  Cooking the sweet potatoes.

Many (most, really) recipes I find for this dish call for either microwaving or boiling the potatoes.  Uh, say what? No no no.  Roasting or baking is the way to go.  The sugars really develop that way! So take 4-5 sweet potatoes (depending on the size), prick them all over with a fork, and let them roast in a 400 degree oven for at least an hour.  I think I let mine go for an hour and twenty, actually.

I just love how they get all wrinkly and stuff!

Anyway, once they've cooled, all you have to do is split those babies down the center and scrape out the flesh.  Or if you're pressed for time, like me, just squeeze the sweet fleshy goodness out of there.

Either way, you'll end up with this:

And to this you will add:

2 eggs.

1/2 cup of white sugar.

4 tablespoons of very soft butter.

1/2 teaspoon of vanilla extract.

Also add 1/2 teaspoon of salt and 1/2 cup of milk.

The salt and the milk were all like "don't take our picture" and kept holding their hands up in front of the lens and stuff.  Can you believe that? The nerve! I mean, it would be one thing if I forgot to take their picture, but come on! I never do that!!

Ahem.  Anyway, you want to mix all of that together.

Kinds looks gross.  But it gets better.

That's all you have to do for the sweet potato part.  Now just empty all of that goodness into an 8x8 pan and set it aside.

Now it's time for the topping, aka The Best Part.

Also simple.  You combine 1/2 cup of packed brown sugar, 1/3 cup of flour and *gulp*...3 tablespoons of softened butter.

I love butter so much.  Why does it hate me?

Cut this together with your handy dandy pastry cutter or two forks.  Hey - do you think a food processor would work for this? I've never tried to make a crumbly topping in a food processor.  Let me know what you think.

Once your mixture resembles coarse crumbliness, add in 1/2 cup of chopped pecans.

Then sprinkle this goodness all over the top of your sweet potatoes!

Into a 325 degree oven it goes, for 30 minutes.

And when it's ready...an incredible aroma will fill your home.  If it's Thanksgiving or Christmas, it will only feel more so.  If it's Easter you'll wonder what the heck's going on but remember that it smells better than a bunch of hard boiled eggs.

And your finished product...wow, baby.  So sweet.  So wonderful. 

So darn easy to make! You need to try this.

You owe it to yourself.

I only wish I had a better picture of the finished product but by then it was Go Time and I had to forgo picture taking in favor of feeding my hungry guests.  C'est la vie, I guess!


Enjoy!