If you have never experienced this Southern US delicacy, you are in for an unexpected treat: light, fluffy, warmly spiced whipped sweet potato topped with crunchy, sweet and very slightly salted topping. As a side dish. I know that it sounds odd to pop a {heaped} spoonful of something sweet onto your otherwise savoury dinner plate. But trust me, it works.
My food to glow version is not quite the Southern US specialty of my youth: loads less sugar and fat. And then there’s the little matter of a complete – and, for some, sacrilegious – lack of marshmallows. But it gets the job done – healthily, lightly, tastily. We love it.
To atone for the sin of binning most of the ooey gooey bits, there is a heavenly heap of warm and complementing spice, tangy-sweet orange and its zest, plus deepest, darkest blackstrap molasses – the latter in itself unaccountably flavoursome and complex for something so sweet. Although sweet potato casserole appears in some form or other on most Southern Thanksgiving tables, it is absolutely welcome at the table for any fall and winter meal. In fact, no self-respecting buffet family restaurant south of the Mason-Dixon Line would dare run out of it, whether November or July.
Sweet potato casserole {or soufflé, if you want to be fancy} is great with spicy-hot things, with other hot vegetable dishes, veggie sausages, as well as cold or hot meats – if you are that way inclined. I’ve seen it at barbeques in hottest, stickiest August, the pan scraped clean. Heck, if you top with marshmallows, it could be a fibre-packed dessert. Leftovers can be blended with some flour and made into sweet potato pancakes or muffins. Not that we have ever had to resort to that option, mind.
Next up, my favourite way with sprouts. Yes, one can have a favourite way with sprouts!
Orange and Spice Sweet Potato Souffle {Casserole}
A healthy, and even more awesomely delicious, tweak on a staple Southern US Thanksgiving side dish. Y’all are welcome. Now get peelin’.
4 small-medium sweet potatoes, peeled and chopped – approximately 1.13 – 1.36kg {2 ½ – 3 lbs}
Juice and zest of one small orange or 2 small clementines
2 tbsp butter {vegan or dairy} or coconut oil
1-3 tbsp maple syrup, date syrup or blackstrap molasses {I tend to use the latter} – the amount depends on the sweetness of your potatoes and your personal taste
1 tsp best quality vanilla extract
1 large egg – very much optional, but helps make it light and fluffy
½ tsp fine salt
1 tsp ground cinnamon
¼ tsp freshly grated nutmeg, slightly mounded
¼ tsp ground cardamom or finely crushed seeds from 3-4 green cardamom pods
½ tsp turmeric
¼ tsp black pepper
Topping
2 tbsp butter {vegan or dairy} or coconut oil
30g {1/3 cup} oats, blitzed in a mini food processor to make a rough flour {or use actual flour or almond meal}
35g {1/4 cup} raw sugar, such as sucanat, coconut blossom or muscovado {I use the former – delicious!}
½ tsp cinnamon
80g {2/3 cup}, chopped pecans – half of which to blitz until ‘nubbly’ {like fine pebbles}
good pinch fine salt
Special equipment needed: electric whisk/beaters; oven dish about 13 x 9 inches, oiled.
1. Preheat the oven to 180C/350F.
2. First of all steam the chopped sweet potatoes for eight minutes, or until soft. You could also boil/simmer the potatoes for 15 minutes, but steaming is quicker and keeps more nutrients. Allow the potatoes to cool for a short while in a colander, then pop into a large mixing bowl and mash with a potato masher, or push through a potato ricer. The ricer gives the finest results. Set aside.
3. Melt the butter/oil and pour over the mashed sweet potatoes, along with the orange juice, syrup, egg {if using} and vanilla. Beat with the electric whisk until fluffy and smooth. Whisk in the spices. Spread the sweet potato into the oiled dish.
3. For the topping, melt the oil/butter and add to a small bowl along with the rest of the topping ingredients, except the chunkier pecan pieces. Stir until blended and dot over the sweet potato. Sprinkle over the remaining nuts. Place the dish into the preheated oven and bake for 25-30 minutes. Serve warm.
Soft Food/Easy To Chew Version: Blitz the topping ingredients to a sandy texture and use 1/4 cup of maple syrup or other preferred liquid natural sweetener. Or just don’t add the topping as the sweet potato mixture is delicious on its own.
Need more Thanksgiving or Christmas food inspo, or just some awesome autumn meal ideas? Here you go: Fennel and Maple Roasted Carrots + Creamed Kale Two Ways, Squash and Kale Dressing {Stuffing} with Sour Cherries and Pecans, Southern Cornbread Stuffing, Butternut Squash Stuffing Stacks, Sauteed Brussels Sprouts with Crispy Sage Crumbs, Cranberry and Apple Sauce + Fresh Cranberry and Pomegranate Relish, Pear and Cranberry Slaw, Winter Slaw with Pears and Cranberries {these two are different!}. And a couple of desserts: Chocolate-Chestnut Truffle Cake, Chocolate-Walnut Pumpkin Pie, Sticky Three-Ginger Gingerbread with Vanilla-Apple Compote.
