Everything great about pecan pie and sweet potato casserole comes together in this recipe.  This is the one Thanksgiving side I’m never “allowed” to skip.  Interestingly, it is the former sweet potato-haters in my life who are now the most insistent that I make it every year.  Probably because I, like them, can’t stand the sickly-sweet marshmallows on top of a traditional sweet potato casserole.  But the nutty streusel in this recipe is just the right balance.  It still tastes like dessert sneaking it’s way into the savory course of the meal, but it isn’t going to give you a cavity! 

Filling Ingredients

1 3/4 pounds raw sweet potatoes or yams (3 cups cooked)

1/2 cup salted butter

1 teaspoon vanilla

1/2 cup granulated sugar

2 eggs, beaten

1/2 cup milk

Streusel Topping Ingredients

1/3 cup salted butter, melted

1 cup dark brown sugar

1/2 cup flour

1 cup chopped pecans

Instructions

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.

Peel the sweet potatoes and cut into uniform 1-inch pieces. Place into a 4-quart saucepan and cover with cold water by at least 1-inch. Cover, set over high heat and bring to a boil. Once boiling, remove the lid, decrease the heat to maintain a simmer and cook until the sweet potatoes can easily be crushed with a pair of tongs, approximately 20 minutes.

While the potatoes are cooking, make the streusel topping.  In a medium bowl add the brown sugar, flour and chopped pecans.  Pour the melted butter over the top of the mixture and stir until well-combined and mixture is the texture of small pebbles. Set aside.

Drain cooked sweet potatoes in a colander. Put the milk, butter, sugar, and vanilla into the now empty 4-quart saucepan and place back over the heat until the butter has melted and the sugar has dissolved. Remove from the heat and set a potato ricer, on top of the pot. Add 1 cup of potatoes at a time to the ricer. Once all of the potatoes have passed through the ricer, stir to combine. Allow the mixture to cool for a few minutes and then quickly stir in the beaten eggs. It is important to allow the few minutes for cooling and to work quickly so that the eggs do not curdle when mixed with the potatoes.

Transfer sweet potatoes to a 10-inch pie dish or a 9 x 5 x 2 inch oven-safe casserole dish. Cover the sweet potatoes with the streusel topping.

Bake at 350 for 25 minutes. Serve immediately.