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Sweet Potato Casserole

Yield: 6 -8 servings
Prep Time: 20 minutes
Cook Time: 1 hour
Total Time: 1 hour 20 minutes

Ingredients

  • 4 tablespoons light or dark brown sugar
  • 1 teaspoon freshly grated orange zest plus 2 tablespoons orange juice, from 1 orange
  • 3 pounds sweet potatoes, peeled and cut into 1 1/2-inch pieces
  • 4 tablespoons butter, cubed
  • ¼ cup heavy cream
  • 1 teaspoon salt
  • ½ teaspoon ground cinnamon
  • ¼ teaspoon black pepper
  • ⅛ teaspoon cayenne pepper

Instructions 

  • Adjust an oven rack to the middle position in the oven and preheat the oven to 400 degrees. F. Mix 3 tablespoons of the brown sugar and 1/2 teaspoon of the orange zest together in a small bowl until thoroughly combined (reserve the other 1/2 teaspoon orange zest for later). Set aside.
  • Lay out 4 pieces of aluminum foil, each about 18 inches in length. Take two of the sheets and lay them perpendicular to each other (so it forms a thick cross) and do the same with the other two sheets of foil. Divide the sweet potatoes in half and put one half on one set of foil and the remaining potatoes on the other set of foil. Sprinkle the remaining tablespoon sugar over all the potatoes in both packets. Fold the opposite edges of the foil toward each other and crimp the edges to seal tightly. Place the packets inside a rimmed baking sheet and bake until the potatoes are tender, 45 to 60 minutes. Remove the baking sheet from the oven and preheat the broiler.
  • Carefully open one end from each pouch, careful to avoid escaping steam, and pour the potatoes and any remaining liquid into a blender or food processor. Add the butter, cream, orange juice, salt, cinnamon and remaining 1/2 teaspoon orange zest, pepper and cayenne. Process until the mixture is completely smooth. Transfer the potatoes to a 2- or 3-quart baking dish (that is broiler safe) and sprinkle evenly with the reserved brown sugar/zest mixture. Broil the sweet potatoes until the topping is lightly browned and bubbly, 2 to 4 minute. Serve warm.

Notes

Make Ahead: for those inquiring minds that want to know if this can be made ahead - I don't know! I haven't tried it, but I'm guessing you could make it and place it in the baking dish and refrigerate it covered (reserving the sugar/zest topping to use later). Then top the casserole with the sugar/zest topping before you want to bake it and instead of broiling, bake at 350 for 15-20 minutes or so to heat through, then pop it under the broiler to take care of the yummy topping.