Sweet Potato Casserole

By blum099

Southern cooks often top sweet
potato casserole with a mixture of
brown sugar, butter and pecans.
Alabama-born sculptor and
home cook Sandi Stevens McGee
covers her silky pureed sweet
potatoes with an especially
crunchy pecan-cornflake topping.
If she doesn't have pecans or
cornflakes on hand, she'll make
the topping with whatever nuts
and cereal are in her cupboard.

Ingredients

• 5 1/2 pounds sweet potatoes,peeled and cut into 2-inch chunks
• 2 sticks (8 ounce!!) unsalted butter, melted, plus more
• for brushing
• Salt
• 1/2 teaspoons freshly
• grated nutmeg
• 1 1/2 cups light brown sugar
• 1 cup milk, warmed
• 3 large eggs, beaten
• 1 cup pecan halves (4 ounces)
• cup cornflakes
• 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon

Details

Servings 12
Preparation time 45mins
Cooking time 45mins

Preparation

Step 1

1 Preheat the oven to 350°. Butter a 13-by-9-inch baking dish. Put the sweet potatoes in a large pot. Cover with cold water and bring to a boil. Cook over moderate heat until the sweet potatoes are tender,
about 15 minutes. Drain well, shaking off the excess water. Transfer the sweet potatoes to a food processor (in batches, if necessary) and puree until smooth.
2 Scrape the puree into a large bowl. Add half of the melted butter,
2 teaspoons of salt, 1 teaspoon of the nutmeg, 1/2 cup of the brown sugar and the milk and stir until combined. Stir in the eggs. Pour the mixture into the prepared baking dish and smooth the surface. Cover
with foil and bake for 40 minutes.
3 Meanwhile, spread the pecans on a baking sheet and bake for 5 minutes, until lightly toasted. Transfer the pecans to a work surface and coarsely chop them. In a bowl, toss the pecans with the cornflake , cinnamon and the remaining melted butter, 1/2 teaspoon of nutmeg and 1 cup of brown sugar. Season the topping with salt.
4 Remove the foil from the casserole. Spoon small clumps of the topping allover the sweet potatoes. Bake, uncovered, for 40 minutes longer, until the topping is golden and sizzling. Let the casserole stand for 20 minutes before serving.
MAKE AHEAD The casserole can be baked up to 4 hours ahead and served
warm or at room temperature.