Sweet Potato Casserole with Praline Topping

“I never really cared for the sweet potato casserole that adorned the sideboard at Thanksgiving during my childhood,” says Chef Marc Taft of Chicken And The Egg in Marietta, Georgia. “I think the reason my mother changed the topping from the traditional marshmallows to this praline-like topping is to get me to eat it.” Nowadays, this dish has become so popular at Chef Taft’s Thanksgiving dinner, he makes two of them.

Hint: Sweet Potato Casserole is also served at his restaurant on the Wednesday Blue Plate Special, along with mashed potatoes, green beans, squash casserole, mac and cheese and fried okra. 

Casserole:

3 cups sweet potatoes, roasted and scooped out of skin
1 cup sugar
1/3 cup butter, melted
2 eggs
1 tsp. vanilla
1 tsp. cinnamon1/4 tsp. nutmeg
1/4 cup heavy whipping cream

Topping:

1 cup brown sugar
1 cup pecans, chopped
1/3 cup all-purpose flour
3 T butter, melted

Preheat oven to 325 degrees. Combine all ingredients except cream, and beat with mixer until smooth. Add cream and pour into a greased 9X13 casserole dish. Mix all topping ingredients together and spread across casserole. Bake for 25-30 minutes.