I’ve been trying to think of ways to say this without sounding like a strident bossy health obsessed food tyrant, but really, when it comes to sweet potato casserole, YOU PEOPLE ARE DOING IT ALL WRONG!!!!
I’ve been reading Laurie Colwin’s Home Cooking in which she states in her chapter “How to Fry Chicken”: “As everyone knows, there is only one way to fry chicken correctly. Unfortunately, most people think their method is best, but those people are wrong.” Her method is not 100% correct – she uses a chicken fryer instead of cast iron – but I agree wholeheartedly with the sentiment. A short, non-scientific survey of a number of my cookbooks bears me out. They all tell you to add at least a cup of sugar to your sweet potato casserole! Outrageous!
It’s a SWEET potato. When roasted, it has very tasty, flavorful, SWEET flesh. If one adds a cup or more of sugar, the tongue (figuratively) throws in the towel and refuses to taste any more flavors. All of the lemony spicy goodness is lost in a bland tidal wave of sugary sweetness. If you like a little sweet crunch for contrast, add the nutty streusel to the top. It’s plenty.
Which brings me to my second point: the spices. If you desire a creamy orange dessert with the flavor of cinnamon, cloves and allspice, make a pumpkin pie. Pumpkin is delicious with cinnamon. But the flavors that truly make a sweet potato sing are nutmeg and lemon. If you don’t believe me, feel free to take it up with Edna Lewis’s In Pursuit of Flavor, page 47 “Baked Sweet Potatoes with Lemon Flavoring”.
This is the only way to make sweet potato casserole correctly-
Sweet Potato Casserole
– 6-8 medium sweet potatoes
Bake whole unpeeled potatoes at 400 for 45 minutes to 1 1/2 hours until they are soft when squeezed with a pot holder. Allow them to cool to the point at which they can be handled without inflicting terrible burns on yourself (or completely). Peel and scoop out the flesh into a bowl and mash until it has the consistency you desire. I like to use the paddle attachment on my mixer, but a potato masher or even a fork will work.
With the potatoes in a large bowl, add the following:
– 5 Tablespoons butter (melted if the potatoes are cool)
– 2 teaspoons salt
– 1/2 teaspoon fresh grated nutmeg
– 1/2 teaspoon black pepper
– 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
– 1 teaspoon of lemon extract (or lemon juice/ zest)
– 4 egg yolks
Beat together until smooth. If the mixture is really thick, add a little half and half , milk or cream to thin it out slightly. Since sweet potatoes can be a little fibrous sometimes, I use the whisk attachment or the beaters of an electric mixer to whip everything together; any little stringy bits that wrap around the beaters get thrown away. Those things are bad for getting stuck between your teeth. Pour everything into a buttered baking dish (about 9×13)
If you like, scatter the top with this:
Streusel
Crumble together with your fingertips into a nutty rubble:
– 5 Tablespoons of cold butter
– 1/2 cup flour
– 1/3 cup brown sugar
– a little salt and
– 4 oz chopped pecans
Bake for 45 minutes at 375 degrees. The sweet potatoes should puff up a little and the topping should be a crisp brown lid. Cool a little before serving or it can be eaten at room temperature.
I’m so glad I got that off my chest. I feel much better now.
Cognitive Leeks 