When I was growing up, I always looked forward to having my Grandmother’s sweet potatoes at Thanksgiving and Christmas. It was my favorite part of the meal and still is. After Jeff and I got married, and we started spending some holidays with his family, I started making them on my own, so that I would always have a piece of my family on the table to complete my meal. I’ve since taken these to many potlucks, and they are always a hit. I’ve modified the recipe slightly to reduce the sugar and butter in the potatoes themselves, but I haven’t touched the way she made the topping. My Grandmother was always a wonderful hostess and Southern cook, and thinking about her when I make and serve these always makes me happy and takes me back to her home. I’m not sure if that’s why everyone feels so passionate about the way their potatoes are at holiday meals, but this is what they mean to me. If you need a new special way to serve them for your holidays, I hope these bring some joy to your table and to your family.

Davis Family Holiday Sweet Potatoes

Ingredients

6 sweet potatoes

3T butter

4 eggs

1 c. milk or unsweetened almond milk

1 tsp cinnamon

1 tsp nutmeg

Topping ingredients

1 ½ c. crushed corn flakes

1 c. nuts (optional – my kids vote no)

1 c. dark brown sugar

8 T. melted butter

Directions

1. Pre-heat oven to 400 degrees.
2. Peel and steam the sweet potatoes until soft.
3. Mash until desired consistency and mix in all the non-topping ingredients. I use a hand masher and mix until almost smooth, but not perfectly pureed.
4. Spread potatoes into a 9×13 casserole dish and cook for 20 minutes while you prep the topping.
5. Mix the topping ingredients together in a bowl and spread over the sweet potatoes. Bake for another 10 minutes. If making potatoes ahead of time, cool after baking for 20 minutes and save the topping to add and bake the 10 minutes right before you serve them.