Sweet potato casserole is a wonderful addition to any fall/winter meal, usually making its solo debut at Thanksgiving followed up by a spot at Christmas. But you might want to take another look at this powerhouse. It’s loaded with Vitamins A and C, same as pumpkins (another star during the holiday season!). For this recipe we bake the sweet potatoes and mash them up with glorious ingredients to enhance their flavor, but these golden beauties are quite versatile. Healthy French Fries pop into my mind first and foremost, but you can also Think Pie.
I love pie. And I love sweet potatoes. Easy to grow, delicious to eat, what more you could you ask for? 😉
Deep Dish Sweet Potato Casserole
3 lbs. sweet potatoes
½ cup firmly packed light brown sugar
½ cup orange juice
5 TBSP butter, softened
2 tsp finely grated orange zest
½ tsp ground cinnamon
¼ tsp each, ground nutmeg, ground ginger
Salt and pepper, to taste
Preheat oven to 350°F. Bake potatoes 1 hour or until soft. Cool. Butter a 2-quart deep dish casserole pan and set aside.
Scoop cooked potato from skins and place in a large mixing bowl. Add all ingredients to potatoes and blend until smooth–the smoother, the better. This might take a couple of minutes but it’s worth the effort. Taste the blend, adding salt & pepper at this point if it suits you.
Transfer potatoes to casserole dish and spread until evenly distributed, creating textured surface. Bake uncovered on the middle oven shelf for about 30-45 minutes or until surface is lightly browned. Serve hot.
Servings 6 – 8
The orange-flavored base in this recipe is a great compliment to the sweet potatoes. Variations include topping the potatoes with marshmallows (my daughter’s favorite), or how about adding bacon bits, dried cranberries and/or walnuts to the mix? For those of you who enjoy a richer, creamier potato, increase your butter and juice content.
****This dish can also be considered heart healthy — great as an anti-inflammatory in your diet — save for the butter.
- 3 lbs. sweet potatoes
- ½ cup firmly packed light brown sugar
- ½ cup orange juice
- 5 TBSP butter, softened
- 2 tsp finely grated orange zest
- ½ tsp ground cinnamon
- ¼ tsp each, ground nutmeg, ground ginger
- Salt and pepper, to taste
- Preheat oven to 350°F.
- Bake potatoes 1 hour or until soft.
- Cool. Butter a 2-quart deep dish casserole pan and set aside.
- Scoop cooked potato from skins and place in a large mixing bowl.
- Add all ingredients to potatoes and blend until smooth--the smoother, the better. This might take a couple of minutes but it's worth the effort.
- Taste the blend, adding salt & pepper at this point, if it suits you.
- Transfer potatoes to casserole dish and spread until evenly distributed, creating textured surface.
- Bake uncovered on the middle oven shelf for about 30-45 minutes or until surface is lightly browned. Serve hot.
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