A Thanksgiving Recipe

With Thanksgiving only a week away, I thought it appropriate to share this sweet potato dish. I brought it to my first Thanksgiving feast with the Vitz family as a newlywed. They have decided to keep me in the family!

My family has a tradition of naming food dishes for the person who is known for preparing that dish. Naming dishes for a person is a wonderful way to remember them and to specifically remember them in prayer. Whenever I look at a recipe card with someone’s name on the top of it, I try and offer up the preparation of that dish for that person. In fact, our family has two favorite meals taken from a cookbook of my Nana’s: Gene Burns’ Chicken and Tom Brooke’s Meatloaf. While none of us have met these fine culinary geniuses, we still think of them in prayer as we prepare their dishes. I hope you enjoy this dish from my dear aunt.
















Aunt Mary’s Sweet Potatoes
Ingredients:
- 5-6 fresh sweet potatoes, cooked (see below tip to prepare the potatoes)
- 1/4 cup packed brown sugar
- 1/4 cup melted butter
- 2 Tablespoons water
- 1 Teaspoon vanilla
- 1/2 Teaspoon salt
- 2 eggs slightly beaten

Topping:
- 1/2 cup packed brown sugar
- 2 Tablespoons all-purpose flour
- 1/4 Teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 2 Tablespoons cold butter or margarine
- ½ cup chopped pecans

1. Preheat oven to 350

2. In large mixing bowl, beat the sweet potatoes with an electric mixer on medium speed about 4 minutes, or until well mashed

3. Add brown sugar, melted butter, water, vanilla and salt. Beat until combined.
Add the slightly beaten eggs and beat until smooth. Note: I blend the sweet potatoes, sugar, butter, water, vanilla and salt all at once in my food processor until smooth. I then add the eggs and blend until combined.

4. Transfer mixture to a 2 quart baking dish

5. To make the topping: in a small bowl combine the sugar, flour and cinnamon. Using a pastry blender (or a fork) cut in the cold butter until the mixture resembles coarse bread crumbs. Stir in the pecans.

6. Sprinkle topping over sweet potato mixture. Bake 350 for 35-40 minutes or until sweet potatoes are heated through and the top is crisp.

Tips:
1. To cook fresh sweet potatoes: Wash and peel. Cut off woody portions and ends and discard. Cut sweet potatoes into cubes. Cook, covered, in boiling water for 2o-30 minutes or until tender.

2. Casserole can be assembled and refrigerated up to 48 hours before baking which makes it a great “Do Ahead” or “Bring Along” for a Thanksgiving Dinner. When taken directly from the refrigerator cook for 45-50 minutes.