Friday Feast: Sweet Potatoes with Peanuts and Sorgum

Sweet potatoes, yams, whatever… they are the perfect Thanksgiving side dish, and I am excited to share a new version with you before this Thanksgiving. I practiced the recipe before the big meal, so here’s my practice test… just to be sure it was yummy. (Newsflash: it is.)

Let me preface this recipe by telling you about our favorite restaurant in Nashville called City House. Oh man, it is yummy and awesome and everything in between. Our favorite menu item is the pork belly ham pizza with a fried egg on top. (Amazing!) JD and I often choose City House to celebrate birthdays, anniversaries, and other fun occasions. The chef, Tandy Wilson, is a well-known James Beard finalist.  So, when I found this recipe by Chef Wilson in my dad’s “Garden and Gun” magazine (great gift idea, by the way), I was so excited to try it.

I may go lighter on the butter next time, but overall, the taste is awesome.

Sweet Potato Casserole with Sorghum and Peanuts

Ingredients

For the base:

7 lbs sweet potatoes (about 12 medium or 5 extra-large, about 10 cups)

1/4 cup sorghum syrup

1/2 lb. unsalted butter (2 sticks), cut into small pieces while cold and slightly softened at room temperature

1 1/2 tbsp coarse salt

• Preheat oven to 350.
• Roast potatoes until tender throughout, 1 1/2 to 2 hours. (You can roast the potatoes on a bed of coarse salt to eliminate scorching, which can discolor the final product.) When they’re cool enough to handle, peel away skin and place sweet potato pulp in large mixing bowl.
• Using a potato masher (I used my standing mixer), smash remaining ingredients together with the sweet potato pulp until smooth. Transfer to lightly buttered shallow ovenproof casserole dish (such as a 9×12-inch with about 2 1/2 inch depth).

For the topping:

1/2 cup sugar

3/4 cup all-purpose flour

1/4 lb. unsalted butter (1 stick), diced and used while still cold

2 cups whole-shelled peanuts, coarsely chopped

1 tbsp. coarse salt

2/3 cup sorghum syrup

• Mix all ingredients except sorghum by hand until butter chunks are pea size. (You are looking for streusel-like topping here.)
• Evenly distribute over top of sweet potato mixture and bake in 350 degree oven until crisp and golden brown, about 30 minutes.
• Transfer baking dish to cooling rack, and drizzle casserole with sorghum, using a crosshatch pattern. Let sorghum sink into topping for a few minutes before serving.

I actually halved the recipe, and there was still enough for the 6 folks who ate it. I think I’ll continue to half it, especially with other Thanksgiving side dishes accompanying it.