Bourbon-Maple Sweet Potato Custard with Crunchy Pecan Topping

5 from 2 votes

Bourbon-Maple Sweet Potato Custard with Crunchy Pecan Topping

Roasting the sweet potatoes in a hot oven instead of peeling, cubing, and boiling them as many recipes suggest is much less work and, I think, intensifies their flavor. My version also cuts back on the "dessert" flavors common to many sweet potato casseroles (cinnamon, nutmeg, vanilla, coconut, marshmallows) and plays up the savory.

Course Side Dish Recipes

Cuisine American

Prep Time 15

Cook Time 2 15

Total Time 2 30

Servings

Calories 333kcal

Author Robin Donovan

Ingredients

5 pounds orange-fleshed yams
1 cup half-and-half
1/2 cup maple syrup plus more to taste depending on the sweetness of your yams
2 tablespoons bourbon
3/4 teaspoon kosher salt
3 large eggs lightly beaten
¼ - ½ teaspoon cayenne
Cooking spray olive oil, or butter for preparing the baking dish
1/2 cup all-purpose flour
1/2 cup packed brown sugar
1/4 cup chilled butter cut into small pieces
1/2 cup chopped pecans

Instructions

Preheat oven to 375°F.
Bake yams for about 1½ hours, until soft, and then peel and mash them in a large bowl.
Add half-and-half, maple syrup, bourbon, salt, eggs, and cayenne to the sweet potatoes beat with an electric mixer at medium speed until smooth.
Coat a 13 x 9-inch baking dish with cooking spray, olive oil, or butter and spoon potato mixture into it, smoothing out the top.
In a food processor pulse flour and sugar together to combine.
Add chilled butter and pulse until mixture resembles a coarse meal.
Stir in pecans and sprinkle over potato mixture.
Cover and bake at 375° for 15 minutes.
Uncover and bake an additional 25 minutes or until the topping is browned and the potatoes are thoroughly heated.

Nutrition