Sweet Potato Casserole with Maple and Pecan Topping

I am not always a huge fan of “sweet potato casserole”; it’s super sweet and the texture is a bit soft for me. However, that’s where this dish really does a great job with the flavors. When serving the potatoes sliced, not mashed, it allows for a little more texture and to eat it with a knife. Also, I cut down the sugar and maple syrup to try to make it less sweet. (Now, Cooper would prefer all the sugar added!)

Obviously this is a traditional Thanksgiving side dish, but it’s great for any time you need a casserole for a side dish.

INGREDIENTS

• 3 pounds of sweet potatoes peeled, cut into 1/4 inch-thick rounds
• Salt
• 1/3 cup maple syrup
• 6 Tbsp chilled butter, cut into 1/2 inch pieces (divided 2 Tbsp and 4 Tbsp)
• 1 1/2 cups pecans, divided (3/4 cup and 3/4 cup)
• 1/4 cup brown sugar, packed

Directions:

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. While oven heats, cook sweet potatoes: In a large pot of water, bring to a boil. Add salt, then the sweet potato slices. Boil until cooked through, about 4 minutes. Remove from heat and rinse to cool.

In a 9×9 baking dish, layer sweet potatoes with butter and maple syrup. Sprinkle each layer with salt. Repeat until all potatoes are in the casserole or baking dish is full.

Bake for 20 minutes, covered, until sweet potatoes are tender.

While potatoes bake, make the pecan topping. In a food processor, put 3/4 cup pecans and coursely chop. Mix with brown sugar. With your fingers, mix the 4 tbsp butter into the mixture, adding the rest of the chopped pecans.

Remove sweet potatoes from open and sprinkle pecan topping on top. Bake dish, uncovered, about 15 minutes. Top should be browned. Serve warm.