Soul Sweet 'Taters

Happiness on a dish!

This was the dish I made for our Thanksgiving dinner a few days ago. I am thankful for family and friends that visited, which resulted for a merrier celebration and less dishes to cook (for me, at least!)

Fair warning - this dish is addictive! It is like a side dish and dessert rolled into one! The creaminess of the sweet potatoes combined with the crunch of pecans and brown sugar is sure to send you to tater heaven!  I am telling you - it was gone so fast, I didn't even get the chance to have seconds!

This recipe is from the November 2012 edition of Food Network magazine, from one of my favorite bloggers Ree Drummond. Tweaked, of course, for my family who has a horrible case of sweet tooth (or teeth, for that matter!)


What you need:

4 medium sweet potatoes (about 1 3/4 pounds)
1 cup white sugar
1 cup milk
2 large eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 teaspoon salt
1 1/4 cup packed dark brown sugar
1 1/4 cup pecans
1/2 cup all-purpose flour
6 tablespoons unsalted butter, at room temperature


What to do:

Preheat the oven to 375°F. Cover each potato with foil, then place them on the oven rack and bake for about 45 minutes.

When the potatoes are done cooking, let cool for about 5 to 10 minutes. Remove foil then slice them open lengthwise and scrape off the flesh with a spoon into a large bowl.  Increase the oven temperature to 400°F.

Time to cool off!

Add the white sugar, milk, eggs, vanilla and salt to the bowl with the sweet potatoes. Using a potato masher, mash the mixture until combined and slightly lumpy.

Lumpy and bumpy? Yessiree!

In a separate bowl, mash the brown sugar, pecans, flour and butter with a fork until thoroughly combined. The mixture should resemble a crumble.

Yes, my dear friend. That is the pure deliciousness.

Spread the sweet potato mixture in 1 14-cup oval-shaped baking dish and sprinkle the crum mixture on top. Bake for about 30 minutes.

This was how it looked like before going into the oven

Tips, Tricks and Tweaks:

1. Pecans would be the best nut for this job, but I imagine walnuts would also do good. 
2. When sprinkling the top with the crumbles, make sure you cover it evenly - for even yuminess!
3. Instead of 1 cup of milk, try 1/2 cup milk and 1/2 cup heavy cream!