So, I LOVE sweet potatoes, but every year, really felt like my casserole fell flat. It was just too sweet to be enjoyable.
Usually, I mash my potatoes with some crushed pineapple, a little of the juice, and some brown sugar. Once topped with marshmallows, it was too sweet to even be a pie! This year, it was perfect.
Make-Ahead Sweet Potato Casserole
Ingredients:
Sweet potatoes
Sea Salt
Cream
Mini Marshmallows
Figure out how much sweet potato casserole you need. I had 30 people coming, and wanted a 9x13 pan full. Wash your sweet potatoes, and put them on a foil-lined baking sheet. (I used 10 Costco-sized sweet potatoes). Poke each one 2-3 times with the tip of a knife, and roast in the oven at 400 for about an hour, or until a knife can be easily inserted into the largest potato, ALL THE WAY TO THE CENTER. Nobody wants chunks in their casserole, right? (You might need to remove smaller potatoes as they finish. Burned isn't what we're going for, either.)
When the potatoes are done, turn off the oven, and let them cool in the oven.
Once everything is cool, peel the skins off the potatoes (this is really simple - just use your hands), then put the potato flesh into a big bowl. Add a liberal sprinkle of sea salt, and a splash of cream, and mash away. Adjust the seasoning to taste, then spoon the mixture into a 9x13 pan and smooth it out with a rubber scraper.
Cover the pan with tin foil, and put it into the oven.
About an hour before dinner time, throw the foil-covered pan into a 350 oven to warm up. 5 minutes before dinner, remove the pan from the oven, remove the foil, evenly spread a bag of mini marshmallows across the top, and broil to crisp up the marshmallows. They will burn QUICKLY, so don't take your eyes off of them! About 5 minutes should be plenty of time, depending on how close your casserole is to the element.
Enjoy! Not too sweet, perfect as a side.
