There are several kinds of sweet potatoes—this incredibly versatile root comes in various types, ranging in colors, textures, and flavors. But I believe the Jewel is my least favorite kind — I find that even with its coppered skin and vibrant orange flesh, it lacks flavor.
Although this isn’t my favorite kind of sweet potato, it’s the go-to for traditional baking and casseroles. It is also very moist and tender when cooked.
I’ve never been a fan of candied yams. I wanted to like it, but almost every time I’ve had it — it was excessively sweet. For the love of my family, who loves candied yams, I figured out how to pair Jewel sweet potatoes with the right ingredients to create something I now look forward to, my Sweet Potato Casserole with Marshmallows.
Of course, I turned to my favorite food blog, Dinner at the Zoo, to find a companion sweet potato dish to complement my loaded Cheesy Smash Potato Casserole. Sara created a fabulous sweet potato Casserole with Marshmallows that I experimented with and adjusted to my liking.
This fantastic casserole has now become a tradition at our Thanksgiving table.
You can find the original recipe here, and here is my adjusted version.
Ingredients:
Casserole
- 2 pounds sweet potatoes cleaned
- Zest of one orange
- Juice of two oranges
- 6 tablespoons melted butter
- 1/4 cup oat milk
- 1/4 cup packed brown sugar
- 3 tablespoons maple syrup
- Dash of ground clove
- 2 teaspoon cinnamon
- 2 teaspoon vanilla
- 1 teaspoon of cardamom
- EVOO
Topping
- 1/2 cup packed brown sugar
- 1/2 cup flour
- 4 tablespoons melted butter
- 1/4 cup chopped walnuts
- 1.5 cup miniature marshmallows
How to make it
- Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.
- Line a sheet pan with foil and coat with olive oil.
- Prick the potatoes with a fork and place them on the pan.
- Bake the potatoes until tender, 45 minutes to an hour.
- When the potatoes are cool enough to handle, cut them in two, scoop out the insides and place the potatoes in a large bowl.
- Add the 6 tablespoons of butter, oat milk, brown sugar, maple syrup, cinnamon, cardamom, clove, orange juice, orange zest, and vanilla to the bowl.
- Use a potato masher to mash potatoes.
- Add some of the marshmallows and mix some more.
- Grease a 2-quart baking dish with olive oil.
- Combine the brown sugar, flour, melted butter, and walnuts until crumbly.
- Sprinkle half of the crumb topping at the bottoms of the baking dish and spread the sweet potato mixture evenly in the pan.
- Sprinkle the remaining crumb topping over the sweet potatoes.
- Bake for 25-30 minutes or until the topping has lightly browned.
- Remove from the oven, sprinkle the marshmallows over the top, then return to the oven.
- Bake for an additional four min or until marshmallows is just melted.
And there you have it, a spiced mash sweet potato that you will enjoy for years to come.
A few things to remember
- Leave the sweet potatoes a little chunky, and the chunky texture seems to be the best.
- If you don’t like marshmallows, it’s ok to omit them.
- Use a different kind of milk if you’d like.
- If you don’t like walnuts, try pecans or almonds. They both work perfectly.
- The original recipe calls for the topping to be sprinkled on top. I like adding to the bottom and top.
- This recipe can be doubled, tripled, or quadruple easily (I’ve done it, and it works)
- Adjust the recipe to your likeness.
Never be afraid to recreate a recipe, be curious about what it could be and have fun with it.