— Pogo
This is a dish my grandmothers and mom always made for Thanksgiving and Christmas dinners, and at other odd times like church pot lucks, Easter, etc. It is just delicious. I made it for Mrs. P’s family one Christmas and they loved it – and they’re Italians from Cleveland who seldom ate sweet stuff. Her Mom always insisted I make it when we’d visit a holidays until she moved out west.
You’ll find this in umpteen places on the internet, and the recipes are very similar although some use canned yams and some call for marshmallow topping. I much prefer the fresh sweet potatoes and pecan topping, but if you like the canned ones and marshmallow topping, knock yourself out. They are good, but like I say, food is a matter of preference, and you now know what mine is
So let’s get started.
Peel and cook sweet potatoes. Mom always cut the sweet potatoes into 1-2” cubes, covered them with water and boiled them until fork tender. That’s the easiest way to prep them, but as long as they are fork tender you can boil, nuke or bake them.
(If you tried to mash sweet potatoes before cooking them and were able to do so without cooking them you’d probably have forearms like Popeye, and the cooking time would be well over an hour).
Ingredients:
For the filling
· 3-4 largish sweet potatoes
· 1 stick salted butter, melted
· ⅓ cup milk (I’ve taken to substituting maple syrup for the milk – it makes the filling a little looser, but a tablespoon of flour can tighten it up)
· ¾ cup brown sugar
· 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
· 2 large eggs, beaten
· 1 tablespoon cinnamon (optional)
· 1 teaspoon nutmeg (optional
For the topping:
· ¾ stick salted butter, melted
· ⅔ cup brown sugar
· ½ – ⅔ cup flour (Usually use all purpose, but any will work)
· 1 cup pecan halves
· Cinnamon and/or nutmeg to taste if you want.
Making and Cooking the Stuff
1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
Making the filling
2. In a large bowl, mash the sweet potatoes
3. Stir in melted butter, milk, brown sugar, vanilla extract and eggs until combined well Some of my forebears used a potato masher to do this – if you’re lazy like me, feel free to use a mixer.
4. Pour the mixture into an 8-inch square baking dish or pan (buttered is preferable but it works with or without that step.
Making the topping
5. In a largish bowl, combine melted butter, brown sugar, flour and pecans. Mix the stuff with a fork or your fingers until mixture becomes crumbly.
6. Sprinkle the stuff over the filling
7. Bake the stuff uncovered for 30-40 minutes until the topping is golden brown.
8. Let the casserole cool for at least 15-20 minutes before serving. This is important because the filling sets up while it cools.
Eat, enjoy, and forget the carbs you’re eating.
Back to all recipes on Trail Feed