In my family, the sweet potato casserole topped with golden brown marshmallows is the shining star at Thanksgiving—and pretty much at all Fall, Winter and Holiday family gatherings! Honestly, if I didn’t make this, I’d not only cause a deluge of tears spanning generations, but I might be disowned.
But to be honest, even my most dearly loved favorites can start to feel repetitive after years of leaning on the same old recipe. I wanted a new spin on the ultimate T-Day side, Sweet Potato Casserole, that offers a fun presentation and more complex flavors that juuuust might convince the casserole haters out there to reconsider.
I discovered a few key cooking tips that will help. First, shape foil into balls to help bake that perfect bacon-cup ring. Second, roasting is my favorite way to cook the sweet potatoes as it will yield a sweet-savory flavor combination. And,don’t forget to top these with marshmallows, complete with a golden brown glow.
12 large marshmallows halved, or 24 mini marshmallows
2/3 cups Maple Syrup
Directions
Roasting the Sweet Potatoes:
Preheat oven to 425°F.
Wash the sweet potatoes and pat dry. Using a fork, poke holes in each potato.
Place the potatoes on a baking sheet or aluminum foil and roast until tender when pierced with a fork, at least 1 hour. Don’t rush this part. The longer they cook, the sweeter the potatoes will be.
Remove and let cool. This can be done at day ahead
Remove skin from sweet potatoes and puree in a Cuisinart or with a hand-held mixer
Melt butter and maple syrup together and stir into puree. (Honestly, the more butter and syrup the better)
Making the Bacon Cups:
Cook Small Batch Maple Sugar Bacon Strips in muffin tins, wrapping one strip of bacon around the inside of each cup of a 12-muffin tin. Make foil forms and place these inside to help the strips hold their shape. Cook for approximately 20-25 minutes at 400°F. (A side note: It helps to make the foil forms larger at the top to prevent the strips from collapsing in. You can even press the foil into lightly into the strip to maintain shape)
Remove bacon from the oven, let cool for 20 mins or so and then transfer to an oven-proof serving platter.
Filling the Bacon Cups:
Scoop potato mixture into a plastic bag and snip one corner of the bag.
Pipe potato mixture into the bacon cups.
Top either with mini marshmallows or large marshmallows halved and broil for 1-2 minutes—make sure to watch them so that they don't burn.
