@pamelasalzmanThe Most Savory Sweet Potato Casserole That You’ll Eat Until The Last Bite
Recipe by Pamela Salzman
Not only are casseroles incredibly delicious, but they are also highly underrated. This year we set out to prove that casseroles are superior to all other traditional recipes. Bet on winning your next Friendsgiving because with this savory and delicious sweet potato casserole, others won’t stand a chance.
Before you dive right in, here are a few pro-tips from the master herself:
+ You can bake this up to 4 hours in advance and serve it warm or at room temperature.
+ If you omit the cheese, you will need to add a bit more salt.
Ingredients:
Serves 8-10 people
5 ½ pounds sweet potatoes, such as garnet or jewel, scrubbed (often labeled yams)
½ cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, ghee, or vegan butter, divided + additional for greasing baking dish
¼ cup fresh rosemary leaves (save the stems for the turkey cavity)
¼ cup fresh sage leaves
1 ½ cups coarse FRESH sourdough breadcrumbs (pulse fresh, preferably stale, bread in a food processor (or use panko)
2 large shallots, chopped or ½ onion, finely chopped
1 cup any kind of unsweetened, plain milk (dairy or non-dairy)
3 large eggs
1 1/3 cups finely grated Parmesan or Pecorino cheese
Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste
Directions:
-
- Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Place the sweet potatoes on a parchment-lined baking sheet and bake in the oven until tender, about an hour, but could be more depending on size. You can also boil peeled, cubed sweet potatoes in water for 15 minutes or until tender and drain.
- Lower the oven temperature to 375 degrees. Butter a 13 x 9-inch baking dish.
- In a small saucepan over medium heat, melt 6 Tablespoons of butter with the rosemary and sage and cook, stirring occasionally, until the butter foams and then browns, about 5 minutes. You are making browned butter. If using vegan butter, just cook the herbs until crisp, and don’t try to brown the vegan butter. Set aside to cool slightly.
- When the sweet potatoes are cool enough to handle, peel and discard the skin and place potatoes in a large bowl. Spoon half of the browned butter-herb mixture onto the sweet potatoes.
- Place the breadcrumbs in a small bowl and pour the remaining browned butter-herb mixture on top and toss to coat.
- In the same saucepan, melt 2 Tablespoons butter over medium heat. Add the shallots and cook, stirring often, until tender and translucent, about 5 minutes.
- In the bowl of a food processor fitted with a metal blade, add half the sweet potatoes, butter, and herbs, plus half the shallots, half the milk, 1 or 2 of the eggs, and half the Parmesan. Just eyeball measurements since everything will get pureed and mixed together. Puree until smooth. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Pour into the prepared baking dish. Puree the remaining ingredients and stir into the pureed sweet potato in the casserole dish. Can be made up to this point one day in advance and kept covered in the refrigerator. Top with bread crumb mixture and bake until crumbs are golden and crisp about 20-25 minutes.
