Amanda Hessers Sweet Potato Casserole Food

THE BEST SWEET POTATO CASSEROLE

Steps:

• For the sweet potatoes: Add 1 3/4 pounds peeled and cubed sweet potatoes to a large pot of salted water. Bring to a boil over high heat, then lower the heat to a simmer and cook until the potatoes are very tender, 15 to 20 minutes. Drain and cool. Mash the sweet potatoes.
• For the filling: Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Butter a 2-quart baking dish.
• Whisk together the butter, mashed sweet potatoes, milk, brown sugar, vanilla, salt and eggs in a large bowl. Transfer to the prepared baking dish.
• For the topping: Combine the flour, brown sugar, butter and salt in a medium bowl until moist and the mixture clumps together. Stir in the pecans. Spread the mixture over the top of the sweet potatoes in an even layer. Bake until mostly set in the center and golden on top, 25 to 30 minutes. Serve hot.

SWEET POTATO PIE

Steps:

• Place sweet potatoes in a large saucepan, and add water to cover. Bring to a boil, reduce heat to low and simmer until very tender, about 45 minutes. Drain well.
• Mash the potatoes in a bowl. The potatoes should yield about 2¾ cups mashed potatoes.
• Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Add butter to hot potatoes, and mash until smooth. Add sugar, nutmeg, egg and vanilla, mixing well. Combine baking powder with evaporated milk, and stir to blend. Add to mashed potatoes. Whisk mixture until velvety. Mound into pie shell, then spread evenly to edges.
• Bake until pie has set and is lightly browned on top, about 55 minutes. Cool to room temperature before serving.

TWO-POTATO GRATIN

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 300 degrees. Butter a medium gratin dish. Line bottom with a layer of Yukon Gold potatoes. Sprinkle with a little thyme and nutmeg. Season lightly with salt and pepper, and pour over a little cream. Add a layer of sweet potato slices, and repeat with the thyme, nutmeg, salt, pepper and cream. Continue layering, ending with sweet potatoes, thyme, nutmeg, salt, pepper and cream.
• Bake in oven for 1 to 1 1/4 hours, until potatoes are tender when pierced with a fork. Cover with aluminum foil if top gets too dark.

SWEET POTATOES ANNA

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 450 degrees F. Melt butter in a small saucepan over medium heat. Meanwhile, slice the sweet potatoes on a mandoline. Soak prunes in port for 20 minutes, then drain and roughly chop. Coat a cast-iron skillet with butter, then arrange half of the potatoes in an overlapping circle until the bottom of the skillet is covered. Brush the top generously with melted butter, and sprinkle with salt and pepper. Scatter half of the prunes over the sweet potatoes, then repeat the whole process. Press down on the potatoes so they are compact.
• Bake 20-30 minutes until potatoes are cooked through and nicely caramelized. Run a knife around the edge of the skillet to loosen. Place a serving plate on top of the skillet and flip over to serve.

AMANDA HESSER'S SWEET POTATO CASSEROLE

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 375 degrees.
• Make the sweet potatoes: Place sweet potatoes on a baking sheet and roast until very tender, about 1 hour and 20 minutes. Remove from oven and let cool slightly. Reduce oven temperature to 350 degrees.
• When potatoes are cool enough to handle, cut in half, scoop flesh into a bowl and mash until smooth. You should have 4 to 5 cups of mashed sweet potato. Stir in brown sugars, eggs, orange juice, butter, vanilla, and salt; transfer to an 8-inch square baking dish.
• Make the topping: In a small bowl, mix together butter, brown sugar, and pecans. Sprinkle over sweet potato mixture. Transfer to oven and bake until nuts are toasted and casserole has puffed, about 30 minutes. Serve.

DESSERT FOR DINNER SWEET POTATO CASSEROLE

Steps:

• Place sweet potatoes into a large pot and cover with water; bring to a boil. Reduce heat to medium-low and simmer until tender, about 20 minutes. Drain and immediately peel sweet potatoes; transfer to a large bowl and mash.
• Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C).
• Stir white sugar, 1/2 cup melted butter, milk, eggs, and vanilla extract into mashed sweet potatoes; pour into a 9x13-inch baking dish.
• Mix pecans, brown sugar, 1/2 cup melted butter, and flour together in a bowl. Sprinkle pecan mixture over sweet potato mixture. Cover baking dish with aluminum foil.
• Bake in the preheated oven until cooked through, 25 to 35 minutes. Remove aluminum foil and continue baking until pecans are lightly browned, about 5 more minutes.

AMANDA HESSER'S MACARONI AND CHEESE

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 350, and butter a casserole dish.
• In a saucepan, heat the two tablespoons butter until foamy. Sprinkle in the flour and whisk until it turns golden, then slowly pour in the milk, continuing to whisk.
• Bring to a simmer over medium heat and let it thicken.
• Stir in the cheese and remove from the heat (it should be a loose sauce). Fold in the macaroni, then add tomatoes by squeezing them between your fingers. The mixture should be loose like a thin batter; if it's gluey or thick, add a little milk or drained tomato juice.
• Pour into the casserole dish and spread breadcrumbs over the surface. Top with 1/4 cup cheese and ground pepper. Bake until browned on the top and bubbling, about 25 minutes.