Savory Sweet Potato Casserole with Toasted Walnuts

I’m starting this blog post with a disclaimer – I really don’t like sweet potatoes that much (gasp!). I know they are so wonderfully popular and can be used in so many wonderful ways, but I have never taken to them. It could be due to a bad experience with a yam casserole when I was little (I’ll spare you the gory details). I can do sweet potato fries on occasion with lots of salt to counteract the sweetness. Oh yeah, and forget about the sweet potato/yam marshmallow casseroles – not happening in this house.

However, I know lots of people love the sweet potato, so I took it as my personal mission to create a casserole I would like. That’s how this Savory Sweet Potato Casserole came to be. I definitely needed to create a sweet and salty effect. I do love the sweet and salty combo, so I was hoping I could make this dish work.

I also love the combination of fresh thyme and garlic. My Mom makes a mean white clam sauce and aside from the clams, the thyme, garlic and butter are the stars of this sauce. I still crave that buttery sauce, so I decided to add it to my sweet potatoes. I mashed them up and then topped it all with some buttery breadcrumbs and toasted walnuts. Ooh baby, all the sudden I really like sweet potato casserole! The crunchy nuttiness of the walnuts really enhances all of the flavors. And the crunchy crust on top of the creamy potatoes, is superb.

If you already adore sweet potatoes and want a little change from the traditional Thanksgiving version, give this a try. You won’t regret it. If you don't like them, this casserole might make you a convert.

One quick note about the recipe – I piped the mashed potatoes into ramekins but you can easily skip the piping and put the potatoes into an 8”casserole. Just bump up the cooking time by about 5 minutes.

Savory Sweet Potato Casserole with Toasted Walnuts

Recipe by Liz Hughes

Prep time: 40 minutes
Cook time: 1 - 1 1/2 hours
Yield: 4 servings
Ingredients

3 medium sweet potatoes, cleaned
3 tablespoons butter, divided
2 cloves fresh garlic
1 teaspoon finely chopped fresh thyme, reserve some for garnish
2 tablespoons whole milk
1 large egg
1 teaspoon kosher salt
1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper

Walnut Crust:
1/2 cup breadcrumbs
1/2 cup chopped walnuts
1 tablespoon butter
1/4 teaspoon kosher salt
fresh thyme for garnish

1. Pre-heat oven to 400 degrees F.

2. Pierce sweet potatoes with fork in several places. Place on a baking sheet and cook for 45 minutes to an hour; should be tender when pierced with fork.

3. In a medium sauce pan, melt 1 tablespoon of butter on medium. Add garlic and time and sauté for 2-3 minutes. Do not let garlic brown. Set aside.

4. When potatoes are cool enough to handle, slice in half horizontally. Scoop out flesh into a large bowl. Add garlic/thyme mixture, 2 tablespoons of butter, milk, egg, salt and pepper. With an electric mixer beat until completely smooth.

5. Place potatoes into a star tipped pastry bag and pipe into 4 individual ramekins.