Recipe: Sweet Potato Casserole

My family never made sweet potatoes for our holiday dinners. Perhaps it was a Northern thing. After I acquired in-laws, I was suddenly exposed to holiday sweet potatoes, which is a family favorite.

Last year, I snuck in a holiday alternative - a sweet potato casserole swiped from a coworker, and changed a bit to my taste. It was enough of a hit that we now have two types of sweet potatoes on the table. This casserole seems like something someone's grandma would make, but it's simple enough for kids to help too. Watch out: These are in no way gourmet or anything in any way healthy.

The recipe, after the jump.

Sweet Potato Casserole

• 2 lbs. sweet potatoes, cleaned and quartered
• 1 dash ground nutmeg
• 1 tsp cinnamon
• 1 1/4 cup brown sugar, packed
• 4 tbsp butter, room temperate
• 3 tbsp butter, melted
• 1 egg
• 1/2 c milk
• 1 tsp. vanilla flavor
• 2 sleeves cinnamon graham crackers, crushed to crumbs (in a food processor works fine)

Bring sweet potatoes to a boil over high heat. Cover and reduce to medium, cook for about 20 or 30 minutes, until fork-tender. Transfer to a strainer and cool. Remove peels and discard. Transfer to a large mixing bowl. Add milk, egg, cinnamon, vanilla, nutmeg, the room temperate butter, and 1 c of the brown sugar. Blend with a hand mixer until everything is blended.

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. In a separate bowl, add melted butter and graham crackers and mix with a fork. Press half of the mixture into the bottom of a brownie or pie pan. Spoon the sweet potato mixture over the crumbs. Sprinkle the remainder for the topping over the mix. Bake for about 50 minutes, until the top is browned.