Sweet Potato Casserole With Brown Sugar Pecan Streusel
Soft baked sweet potato filling under a crisp brown sugar pecan streusel. Both parts can be made a day ahead and assembled right before baking.
Servings 8 servings
Ingredients
For the Filling
- 4 lbs sweet potatoes about 4 large
- ¼ cup unsalted butter melted
- ½ cup light brown sugar packed
- 1 large egg beaten
- ¼ cup half and half
- 2 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt
For the Brown Sugar Pecan Streusel
- ½ cup all-purpose flour
- ½ cup light brown sugar packed
- 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- ¼ teaspoon kosher salt
- 1 cup pecans chopped
- 6 tablespoon unsalted butter melted
Instructions
Bake the Sweet Potatoes
- Heat the oven to 400F. Prick the sweet potatoes several times with a fork and bake on a foil-lined sheet pan for 55 to 70 minutes, until a knife meets no resistance in the thickest part.
- Cool 10 minutes, split lengthwise, and scoop the flesh into a large bowl. You should have about 4 cups.
Make the Filling
- Mash the warm flesh by hand with a potato masher until mostly smooth, leaving a few soft lumps. Do not use a food processor, which makes the filling gluey.
- Mash in the melted butter, then stir in the brown sugar, beaten egg, vanilla, and salt until the color is even.
- Add the half and half a splash at a time until the filling is spoonable but still holds a ridge. Spread it into a buttered 2 quart baking dish and level the top, leaving clearance at the rim.
Make the Streusel and Bake
- Stir the flour, brown sugar, cinnamon, and salt together, then toss the chopped pecans through the dry mix.
- Pour the melted butter over and stir with a fork until the mixture looks like damp sand with pea-sized clumps.
- Heat the oven to 350F. Scatter the streusel evenly over the filling all the way to the edges of the dish, adding it only right before baking.
- Bake 40 to 45 minutes, until the topping is deep golden and firm to a light tap and the filling bubbles at the edges. Tent loosely with foil for the last 10 minutes if the pecans darken early. Rest 10 minutes before serving.
Notes
- Bake, do not boil: boiled sweet potatoes waterlog the filling and it never firms up.
- No food processor: it works the starch and turns the mash gluey. Use a masher.
- Melted butter in the streusel: it clumps the crumbs. Cold cut-in butter gives a sandy topping that spreads flat.
- Top it late: add the streusel right before baking. Sitting on the filling it turns to paste.
- Make ahead: filling up to 2 days in the fridge, streusel up to 3 days dry at room temperature, then bake with 10 to 15 extra minutes.
- Nut free: swap the pecans for ½ cup old-fashioned oats plus 2 tablespoons more flour.