WHY THIS RECIPE WORKS:
Without fail, every Thanksgiving millions of cooks across the country prepare the butter-laden, over-spiced, marshmallow- topped casserole we all know. It’s as much a side of nostalgia as it is a side dish, but with all that fat, sugar, and spice, the sweet potatoes get lost. Here is our potato-focused version of this home-style classic. For precooking the potatoes, we found that, although baking took longer than microwaving or boiling, it produced a rich, intense sweetness that was worth every minute. Baking intensified their flavor to the point that the excessive amounts of sugar traditionally added became superfluous. The next question to resolve was texture. We wanted the best of both worlds— chunky and smooth—so we tried a mix of potato chunks and smooth puree, gently folding in the chunks just before baking. Bites of dense potato were thus suspended throughout the puree. This varied texture paired perfectly with the crunchy streusel topping, which stole the show in the test kitchen, with its crisp texture and nutty, bittersweet flavor that held the filling’s richness at bay. Nobody even missed the marshmallows.
SERVES: 10 to 12
TOTAL TIME: 2 hours 30 minutes
INGREDIENTS:
POTATOES
- 7 pounds sweet potatoes, unpeeled, each lightly pricked with fork in 6 places
- Granulated sugar
STREUSEL
- ½ cup (2½ ounces) all-purpose flour
- ½ cup packed (3½ ounces) dark brown sugar
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- 5 tablespoons unsalted butter, cut into 5 pieces and softened
- 1 cup pecans
FILLING
- 5 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted
- 4 teaspoons lemon juice
- 1 tablespoon vanilla extract
- 2 teaspoons salt
- ½ teaspoon ground nutmeg
- ½ teaspoon pepper
- 4 large egg yolks
- 1½ cups half-and-half
INSTRUCTIONS
- FOR THE POTATOES
- Adjust oven rack to lower-middle position and heat oven to 400 degrees.
- Evenly space potatoes on aluminum foil–lined rimmed baking sheet.
- Bake potatoes, turning once, until very tender and easy to squeeze with tongs, 1 to 1½ hours.
- Cut potatoes in half lengthwise and let cool for at least 10 minutes.
- Reduce oven temperature to 375 degrees.
- FOR THE STREUSEL
- Grease 13 by 9-inch baking dish.
- Pulse flour, sugar, and salt in food processor until combined, about 4 pulses.
- Sprinkle butter over flour mixture and pulse until crumbly mass forms, 6 to 8 pulses.
- Sprinkle pecans over top and pulse until combined but some large pecan pieces remain, 4 to 6 pulses.
- Transfer streusel to bowl.
- FOR THE FILLING
- Once potatoes have cooled slightly, use soupspoon to scoop flesh into large bowl (you should have about 8 cups).
- Transfer half of potato flesh to now-empty food processor.
- Using rubber spatula, break remaining potato flesh in bowl into coarse 1-inch pieces.
- Add melted butter, lemon juice, vanilla, salt, nutmeg, and pepper to processor and process until smooth, about 20 seconds.
- Season with up to 4 tablespoons sugar to taste.
- Add egg yolks.
- With processor running, slowly add half-and-half until incorporated, about 20 seconds.
- Add to bowl with potato pieces and stir to combine.
- TO ASSEMBLE AND BAKE:
- Spread potato mixture in prepared dish.
- Sprinkle with streusel, breaking up any large pieces with your fingers.
- Bake until topping is well browned and filling is slightly puffy around edges, 40 to 45 minutes.
- Let cool for at least 10 minutes before serving
