Whipped Sweet Potato Casserole with Candied Maple Pecans
Whipped Sweet Potato Casserole with a delicious topping of Candied Maple Walnuts. So dreamy, just one bite will have you wanting to give thanks all around!
Cut the sweet potatoes in half; place them in a broiler pan. Drizzle them with a generous amount of extra-virgin olive oil and sprinkle liberally with salt and pepper.
Turn the tubers flesh side down, cover with aluminum foil and bake in the oven for about 45 minutes, until they can easily be pierced with a fork.
Meanwhile, bring the maple syrup to a boil in a medium (carbon steel) skillet set over high heat. Let it boil for 2-3 minutes, then throw in the pecans and continue cooking for about 2 minutes, or until the syrup is practically all gone. Kill the heat, sprinkle the candied nuts with a little bit of salt and cinnamon, stir well and transfer the nuts onto a silpat or piece of parchment paper to stop the cooking and ensure they don’t stick to the pan.
When the sweet potatoes are cooked, remove them from the oven (don’t turn it off, you’ll need to use it again later) and let them cool for a few minutes until you can safely handle them, then either peel them by pulling gently on the skin or scoop the flesh out with a spoon. Put that flesh in the work bowl of your stand mixer and break it down on low speed using the paddle attachment. (you could also do this by hand with a potato masher)
In the meantime, add the eggs, maple syrup, lemon juice, salt, pepper and nutmeg to a large mixing bowl and whisk until well combined.
Trade the paddle attachment for the whisk and whip the potatoes on medium speed. With the motor running, slowly pour the egg mixture as close as possible to the side of the bowl so it doesn’t hit the beater as it goes down, then continue whipping for about a minute, until the potatoes become real light and fluffy. (You could also do this with a hand-held mixer. Again, just make sure you pour the egg mixture far away from those beaters!)
Transfer the potatoes to a ceramic baking dish and spread evenly. Crumble the candied nuts and spread them across the potatoes, then drop little dollops of ghee all over the top.
Return to the oven for 20 to 25 minutes, until the pecans get golden brown.
Remove from oven and allow to rest for at least 10 minutes before serving.