~Amanda~
The best cooking season of the year is upon us and I could not be more excited, I find myself dreaming every night about all the recipes that I want to make. Lucky for me, we will be attending three Thanksgiving dinners this year between our family and friends, so I get to make a bunch of dishes. Every year, I feel like you have to have some favorite traditional recipes, but I have started to make a few new dishes too – you never know when you’ll discover something amazing that could be a new family tradition. This year, this was one of those recipes. Growing up we never really had Sweet Potato Casserole because our dad isn’t a fan of potatoes. We don’t have a traditional family recipe, so I thought I’d come up with one of my own. After doing a lot of Sweet Potato Casserole research and thinking about past recipes I’ve had, I decided that this version is definitely my favorite so far. The addition of real, rich maple syrup and the sweet and spicy ginger is so complementary to the potatoes and I love it so much more than the traditional marshmallow topping.
The main part of sweet potato casserole is, obviously, the sweet potatoes. So cooking them right and getting them full of flavor is key. To get the best results, roasting the potatoes is absolutely necessary, do NOT use potatoes from a can or boil them, you’re better than this and your dish will be too! I peel the potatoes and cut them into about ½ inch cubes then toss them with olive oil, salt and pepper on a baking sheet. They bake at 450 degrees for about 30 minutes, it should take about this long to cook them through and get the outsides a little browned and crisp (this is great for the flavor). Another flavor enhancer that I found on A Family Feast is to use browned butter rather than just plain melted butter. This brings in such an awesome nuttiness to the potatoes and really elevates the dish. Browning butter is so simple too, so don’t be afraid of doing it… just about 15 minutes in a saucepan and you’re done!
I think most people would agree that the sweet potatoes are great and all, but you really make Sweet Potato Casserole for the topping, let’s not kid. And if we’re being completely honest, I probably make about 1½ the amount for the topping so the layer is just a little bit thicker and you get a little more with every bite, it’s just so good and it’s the holidays so it’s okay to indulge, right?! So what’s in the topping that makes it so incredible? Pecans, brown sugar, and crystallized ginger… the crunch of the pecans, the sweet brown sugar, and the spicy and sweet crystallized ginger combined together (with some butter and flour) create the most decadent and tasty topping you could imagine, you won’t be missing those soggy marshmallows one bit! Definitely try this recipe out this Thanksgiving and once it comes out of the oven all bubbling hot and smelling incredible, you will be glad you did. Happy Thanksgiving!
- 6 cups sweet potatoes, peeled and cut in ½” cubes (about 2 pounds or two large potatoes)
- 2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
- 1 teaspoon salt
- ¼ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
- 1 cup butter (2 sticks)
- ½ cup whole milk
- ½ cup sugar
- 3 tablespoons maple syrup (real maple syrup)
- 2 eggs
- ½ teaspoon dry ginger
- ½ teaspoon salt
- 4 tablespoons butter, melted
- 1 tablespoon crystallized ginger, small dice
- ½ cup brown sugar
- ½ cup all-purpose flour (or gluten-free baking flour)
- 1 cup pecans, coarsely chopped
- Preheat oven to 450 degrees.
- Line a baking sheet with foil and toss the potato cubes, olive oil, salt and pepper on it.
- Roast for 30 minutes until the potatoes are tender and cooked through, turning halfway through.
- Remove from oven and set aside.
- Reduce heat to 350 degrees.
- While the potatoes are in the oven, brown the butter by placing the stick of butter in a medium saucepan over medium low heat. The butter will melt and begin to brown.
- The butter will take about 15 minutes (or more) to turn a medium brown. Once this happens, remove from heat and set aside to cool for a few minutes (remove any curds that have separated with a spoon).
- Place the cooked potatoes and the brown butter in a food processor and add the milk, sugar and maple syrup. Pulse to combine.
- Add the eggs, ginger and salt and run until the mixture is thick and smooth.
- Grease a 13x9” dish and pour in the potato mixture.
- In a medium bowl, mix all of the topping ingredients and sprinkle over the potato mixture.
- Bake for 45 minutes or until bubbly and hot. Serve immediately.
