Sweet potato casserole is a typical part of Thanksgiving dinner for many families. Although this vegetable is often combined with marshmallows on Thanksgiving, many excellent sweet potato casseroles do not include marshmallows. In Barbara Bishop's Sweet Potato Casserole, pecans are used to contrast with the flavor of the sweet potatoes. This dish is particularly good when served with turkey or chicken as the main course.
Barbara Bishop's Sweet Potato Casserole is a very good side dish for fall dinner parties, as well as Thanksgiving, because the recipe is practically fail-safe, yields 8-10 servings, and is easy to prepare ahead of time and keep hot until guests arrive.
In addition to being delicious, sweet potatoes are rich in Vitamin C, Vitamin A, and dietary fiber. According to The George Mateljan Foundation for the World's Healthiest Foods (www.whfoods.com, viewed September 14, 2009), a single baked sweet potato provides 262% of the recommended Daily Value of Vitamin A. Sweet potatoes are also a good source of iron and Vitamin B6.
This recipe for Barbara Bishop's Sweet Potato Casserole has been modified with permission from Cookin' with the Clergy, a collection of traditional Midwestern recipes in honor of George L. Bishop and Barbara Denning Bishop, compiled by Dolores L. Markey in 2001.
Ingredients
For the filling:
- 3 or 4 large sweet potatoes
- 1/2 cup white sugar
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 2 eggs, beaten
- 1/3 stick butter (unsalted)
- 1/2 cup of milk or cream
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
For the topping:
- 3/4 cup brown sugar
- 2/3 cup flour
- 1 cup chopped pecans
- 1/3 stick butter (unsalted)
- Optional: 1/4 cup of dried cranberries
What To Do:
For the filling:
- Lightly grease an 8 x 10 casserole dish (or a 10 x 12 jelly roll dish). Preheat the oven to 350 degrees (F).
- Wash the sweet potatoes. Peel and dice the sweet potatoes into 1/2 inch pieces, and place in a saucepan. Cover with water and boil until tender.
- Drain and mash the sweet potatoes.
- In a separate bowl, melt the 1/3 stick of butter. Add the white sugar, salt, milk, and vanilla. Allow the mixture to briefly cool.
- Blend in the eggs.
- Combine the mixture with the mashed sweet potatoes and pour into the prepared casserole dish. Set aside.
For the topping:
- Combine the chopped pecans, 2/3 cup of flour, and 3/4 cup of brown sugar.
- Cut the 1/3 stick of butter into the mixture until completely combined.
- Sprinkle the topping onto the sweet potato mixture in the casserole dish. Cover the dish with aluminum foil and bake at 350 degrees for 10 minutes. Remove the aluminum foil and bake for 25 minutes.
Enjoy!
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