Sweet Potato Casserole with Pecan Crumble  

Many of us associate sweet potato casseroles, souffles, and puddings with Thanksgiving and marshmallows. There’s nothing wrong with that, but this creative recipe is a delicious opportunity to switch things up. It can be a go-to side dish throughout sweet potato season, too tasty to serve only once a year. It’s far less sweet than many traditional casseroles, yet plenty flavorful thanks to fruity peach preserves, zippy fresh lemon, and a splash of bourbon. It’s topped with a buttery pecan crumble instead of sugary marshmallows.  

I most often make this recipe with some variety of orange sweet potato, but it’s also great when made with a white variety (which reduces the sweetness even further) or with a mixture of orange and white. You could even use purple sweet potatoes for an expected burst of color on the dinner table and conversation around the table. Keep in mind that white and purple sweet potatoes can have drier flesh than orange varieties, so you might need a splash more half-and-half in the filling, enough to give it the consistency of mashed potatoes. 

Makes 8 servings (This recipe is easily doubled to fill a 9-by-13-inch baking dish) 

Topping Ingredients

• 1/3 cup packed dark brown sugar
• 1/3 cup all-purpose flour
• 1/2 teaspoon pumpkin pie spice
• 1/4 teaspoon kosher salt
• 3 tablespoons butter, melted
• 3/4 cup pecan halves or pieces

Filling Ingredients

• 3 pounds sweet potatoes, uniform size
• 1/3 cup packed dark brown sugar
• 4 tablespoons butter, softened, plus extra for the pan
• 1/3 cup peach preserves
• 1/4 cup half-and-half
• 1 large egg
• Finely grated zest and juice of 1 lemon
• 1 tablespoon bourbon
• 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
• 1 teaspoon pumpkin pie spice blend
• 1 teaspoon kosher salt

Directions

For the topping:  Place the brown sugar, flour, and spice in a small bowl and stir to combine. Drizzle with the melted butter and mix well. The mixture will look like wet sand. Add the pecans and toss to combine. Set aside until ready to use. 

For the filling: Heat the oven to 375° F. Pierce each potato in several spots with the tip of a knife or fork tines and wrap individually in foil. Place the potatoes on a sheet pan and bake until soft when gently squeezed, 1 to 1 1/2 hours. Unwrap the potatoes and set aside until cool enough to handle. Peel the potatoes and place the flesh in a large bowl. 

Reduce the oven temperature to 350° F.  Generously butter a shallow 1 1/2- to 2-quart baking dish.  

Beat the sweet potatoes until smooth, using a stand or hand mixer set to medium speed. Add the brown sugar and butter and beat until smooth. Add the peach preserves, half-and-half, egg, lemon zest and juice, bourbon, vanilla, spice, and salt, and beat until well mixed. Transfer into the prepared baking dish and smooth the top. Evenly scatter the topping over the sweet potato mixture.  

Bake until just set in the center, about 30 minutes. Let stand at least 15 minutes before serving. 

©Copyright 2024 Sheri Castle 

Sheri Castle, award-winning food writer and cooking teacher, is known for melding culinary expertise, storytelling and humor, so she can tell a tale while making a memorable meal. Her creative, well-crafted recipes and practical advice inspire people to cook with confidence and enthusiasm. She's written a tall stack of cookbooks and her work appears in dozens of magazines. In 2019, the Southern Foodways Alliance named Sheri among Twenty Living Legends of Southern Food, calling her The Storyteller.

Sheri says that she's fueled by great ingredients and the endless pursuit of intriguing stories, usually about the role that food plays in our lives, families, communities and culture.

When she steps away from the kitchen or a local farm, Sheri enjoys spending quiet time at her home near Chapel Hill. She hails from the Blue Ridge Mountains of North Carolina.