Although I’m a dinky di Aussie, I’m also a true blue American. A sweet potato casserole with pecan topping is ALWAYS on my Thanksgiving table (which ends up being Spring here) and if I’m honest it would be on every table I sit down at if it weren’t for that quick but frightening peek of my lard ass in the mirror every morning.
This casserole is a wonderful way to take a perfectly delicious, healthy vegetable and turn it into dessert you can eat with your meal. Even my non-sweet eating Aussie husband will eat this but he does mutter something about “Americans” under his breath and “sweet.” I ignore him.
I remember telling John that the only toys I don’t own were a potato masher and a sous vide machine and one of my dreams was coming true. He laughed and went back to work. A short minute later he peered around my office door and said, “You bought a sous vide???”
“No, but the Masha people are sending me an electric potato masher to try out,” I said. He turned around and as he left he said, “Good to see your dreams come true, dear.”
While I waited for it to arrive I wondered what I could do with it. I saw a lot of mashed potato recipes on the net and a few people used it to to make dips but all I could think of was my sweet potato casserole. I wouldn’t have to wait until Thanksgiving or feel guilty for packing on the calories. It was my JOB to test it, right?
By the time my Masha arrived I had all the ingredients and I’d even prepped the topping. I dashed to the dining room and snapped a few photos and ripped that box open. At this point I was still thinking, “A one-use gadget isn’t really practical, is it? Where do I keep it?”
I put the potatoes on to boil and read the instructions and washed the mashy bit and then plugged it in. I did test it and I wondered if you could use it as a fan. Not really but I doubt that’s what it was intended for.
After draining the potatoes I put them in a large bowl and I was set to mash. Ummm…. Hello…. about 2 seconds later, this lovely potato mash is squeezing through the side holes like a potato ricer and what seemed 2 seconds later I was done. The masher end just snaps off and a quick rinse leaves it looking brand new. The potatoes were light and fluffy and perfectly mashed without that whipped texture I don’t enjoy.
So the verdict is, I’ll keep it handy and use it for potatoes, dips and anything else that needs to be gently mashed.
- 3 cups boiled and mashed sweet potatoes
- ½ cup brown sugar
- 2 eggs beaten
- 1 tsp. vanilla
- ½ cup butter
- ½ cup milk
- salt and white pepper to taste
- ½ cup brown sugar
- ⅓ cup flour
- ⅓ cup butter
- 1 cup pecans, chopped
- ½ tsp cinnamon
- Just a quick grate nutmeg (optional) - a little goes a long way
- Preheat oven to 160C / 325F
- Boil potatoes in salted water until soft enough to mash. Drain and place in a mixing bowl.
- Mash potatoes and then mix in all the other potato ingredients and place in a casserole dish.
- Mix topping ingredients and sprinkle on top of the mashed potatoes.
- Bake for 30 minutes until the topping is lightly browned.
Disclosure: I received a free Masha for review but the words are all my own. (who else would write like this?)