Praline Sweet Potato Casserole

    I am a little embarrassed that up unto this point, I have yet to acknowledge my sous-chef!  There is absolutely no way that I could accomplish what I do in the kitchen on a daily basis without my incredible helpful and incredibly patient husband, Phillip.  No matter how ridiculous the number and difficulty level of the projects I propose for a given time, he never complains about the amount of time we all spend in the kitchen.  My guess is that this is because he knows he will have tasty meals and treats at the end of it, but still, these recipes usually require a great deal of work and Phillip is almost always right in the kitchen with me.

   When we first began to host Thanksgiving at our house, it was Phillip who took our Crate and Barrel Thanksgiving Table cookbook (the same one that gave us our Walnut and Pear Green Salad with Mustard Vinaigrette) off the shelf for the first time and wanted to find a few recipes to try.  The first recipe he found was for a sweet potato casserole.  Phillip agreed to take the lead on this recipe and now we have it every year.  I find it to be much better than your average sweet potato casserole and while it may take a little more time, I promise it is well worth it!  We make it the day ahead and place it in the refrigerator until it is ready to be baked.

Praline Sweet Potato Casserole (click on title for printable version)

6 large, fresh sweet potatoes (about 5 1/2 lbs), scrubbed well

1/4 C. whole milk
1/2 C. (1 stick) butter
3 large eggs, lightly beaten
3/4 C. packed dark brown sugar

Praline topping:

4 T. butter
3/4 C. packed dark brown sugar
1/2 t. salt
1/2 t. ground cinnamon (I use King Arthur's Vietnamese Cinnamon)
1/2 t. ground nutmeg
1/4 C. heavy whipping cream
1 1/2 C. coarsely chopped pecans
2 t. vanilla

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  Using a fork, pierce the scrubbed potatoes several times each and place them on a foil lined baking sheet.  Bake for 90 minutes or until the potatoes are very, very tender when you poke them with a fork.  Remove from oven and allow them to cool until you can handle them.  You want them to still be a little warm.

Meanwhile, using a small pot, heat the milk and butter just until the butter has melted and the mixture is hot.  Do not let it come to a boil.  Cut the potatoes in half and scoop out the flesh.  Throw away the skins.  At this point you can either use a potato ricer (my choice), a hand masher, or your mixer to mash the potatoes.  Add the milk and butter mixture and stir well.  Using a whisk, add the beaten eggs and whisk very well until all ingredients are combined.  Add the first 3/4 C. brown sugar and pour the mixture into a buttered or greased 9X13" casserole dish.

For the praline topping, melt the butter in a medium sized saucepan over low heat.  Add all of the praline ingredients except for the vanilla and heat to just simmering.  Stir constantly until the mixture has thickened and the sugar has dissolved completely.  This will take about 5 minutes.  Keep the temperature fairly low and do not let it come to a boil.  Take it off the heat and stir in the vanilla.  Spread the topping over the casserole by pouring it out and using a spatula to cover the entire surface.

Heat oven to 375 degrees and bake for 30 minutes or until the topping looks slightly crispy and completely set.  Serve straight out into the oven.