For years, I only wanted my Thanksgiving potatoes in the form of this casserole with cider, orange and pecans. Then I decided to try something different with sliced candied sweet potatoes, and for the next few years I couldn’t imagine anything else. Of course, a restaurant meal intrigued me with the idea of a savory country ham and gruyere version, so that made its way to the table (sometimes with a sweet version as well). I developed a slow cooker sorghum method on request to free up oven space (I make that throughout the year). Then for a while, I thought hot honey brown butter was my favorite preparation (again, not just for Thanksgiving). This is the life of a recipe developer. We don’t get to rest on our laurels very often, we always need to be looking for something new. So now my favorite sweet potatoes are this version of a classic sweet potato souffle, with sorghum, brown butter and a pecan streusel. Rich and light at the same time, sweet, but not too sweet, with a deep earthiness perfect for autumn and Thanksgiving. I don’t know, check back again next year, there may be a whole new recipe. But I am not planning it.
Baking the sweet potatoes low and slow, wrapped tightly, concentrates their sweetness and makes for an altogether richer dish, but you can microwave them or cook faster at a higher temp (but I REALLY recommend the slow method). The potato flesh needs to be meltingly soft. Brown sugar and sorghum add this incredibly earthy sweetness that melds with the potatoes beautifully and the browned butter has such a depth of flavor, in both the potatoes and the topping. I don’t add any spices because I really want the sweet potatoes to shine. Eggs and flour and baking powder are what make this a souffle rather than a casserole (though technically it’s not really either one). I prefer to blend everything in a food processor because it produces a perfectly smooth and silky finish, but in a pinch you can blend everything in a stand mixer. You can make this dish up to two days ahead, but keep the potatoes and the streusel separate, adding the topping shortly before baking.
Ingredients
- For the Sweet Potatoes
5 large sweet potatoes (about 4 pounds)
¼ cup (½ stick) unsalted butter
4 large eggs
½ cup light brown sugar, packed
½ cup whole milk
½ teaspoon kosher salt
¼ cup sorghum syrup
½ cup all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
- For the Streusel
¼ cup (½ stick) unsalted butter
1 cup chopped pecans
½ cup light brown sugar, packed
½ cup all-purpose flour
Pinch of kosher salt
Directions
- For the Sweet Potatoes
- Heat the oven to 300 degrees. Wrap each potato tightly in foil and place directly on the middle rack of the oven (I place a sheet of foil on the rack below to catch any drips). Bake for 2 hours, or until they are very soft. When you squeeze the packet the potato should easily give. Remove from the oven and cool for 20 minutes of so, until you can handle them. Unwrap the potatoes and pull of the skin carefully with your fingers (you may want to hold the potato in one had with an oven mitt or tea towel). Set the flesh aside in a bowl or on one sheet of the foil you wrapped the potatoes in.
- While the potatoes are cooking, cut the butter into small pieces and place in a small saucepan (light colored or stainless is best so you can see the butter as it browns). Heat over medium high heat, watching constantly, until the butter is melted. It will start to spit and hiss, then you will see brown speckles appear. Swirl the butter around to distribute the browned bits, and as soon as the butter has an even brown color and a nice nutty smell, pour it into a heat proof measuring jug. Set aside.
- When the potatoes are ready and peeled, put the eggs, sugar, milk and salt in the bowl of a food processor and process for about 30 seconds, until completely blended and the sugar has almost dissolved. Add the sweet potato flesh, breaking it up with a spatula or your hands, and process until smooth and combined. Add the sorghum and brown butter and pulse to combine. Add the flour and baking powder and blend just until combined and smooth. Don’t blend too long, just make sure no dry streaks of flour are visible. Spray a 9 by 13 baking dish with cooking spray, then scrape the potato mixture into it and spread it to an even layer.
- For the Streusel
- Brown the butter as before and set aside to cool.
- Put the pecans, sugar, flour, and salt in the small food processor and pulse a few times to combine. Add the brown butter and pulse until you have a well combined crumbly mixture.
- If you want to cook the souffle right away, heat the oven to 350 degrees. Sprinkle the streusel over the potatoes in an even layer and bake for 40 – 50 minutes, until puffed and browned and lightly set in the center. Let rest at least 5 minutes before serving.
- To make one day ahead, spread the prepared sweet potatoes in the baking dish, cool, cover and refrigerate. Prepare the streusel as above and store in a ziptop bag or container in the fridge. Take both the potatoes and the streusel out of the fridge for about 30 minutes before topping the potatoes with the streusel and baking as above. You may need a few more minutes for it to cook through.
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