A Different Take on Sweet Potato Casserole
I think for Thanksgiving, most families are very used to seeing one kind of sweet potato casserole on the table. You know, the one with the marshmallows on top and that is sickeningly sweet and yet you cannot help yourself but have a generous serving or two.
My husband’s family has always had a different kind of sweet potatoes for their Thanksgiving meal that is so great and just the right amount of sweet. They lovingly call it “yams and apples” and for the members in their family, Thanksgiving just isn’t right without it.
Yes, it is technically a dish that is most often served for the big Thanksgiving meal, but it can certainly be made throughout the rest of the year with a nice meal and is the perfect side dish. We are working our way through the holidays and the winter season and it would be a lovely side dish you could try for a nice Sunday dinner this winter.
I have talked about this dish before because it was the special family recipe from my husband’s side that for some reason it felt like I was cursed or something because I never seemed to be able to get it to turn out the first couple times I tried. My mother-in-law put me in charge of making it for the Big Turkey Day the first couple years we were married and I would forget an ingredient, or make some other bone-headed mistake and it wouldn’t turn out like she made it, much to my chagrin. I think she really wanted me to learn to make something special from her side of the family so her son could have one of his favorite comfort foods once in a while.
Thankfully, I have since figured out how to make it turn out perfectly every time and don’t let my beginner's bad luck deter you from making it :) It is very easy. You fill a casserole dish with sliced, barely cooked-through sweet potatoes and sliced, peeled apples.
You should choose types of apples that hold up well to baking, which could include: Honeycrisp, Gala, Fuji, Braeburn, Pink Ladies, and Honey Gold, to name a few.
Next, you make a smooth and silky, creamy sauce to pour over the yams and apples and bake it at 350 for 30 minutes before serving. The key for the sauce to turn out smooth and silky instead of lumpy (like it did the first couple times I made it) is to mix the sugar and cornstarch together first in the cold pan. This is all it takes for the cornstarch to thicken the sauce and be smooth at the same time. You add a stick of butter and a cup of water and cook on medium, continually stirring for about 5-7 minutes, until the sauce becomes a smooth, milky-colored sauce.
We drove up to see family for the Christmas holiday and my mother-in-law made this as a side dish with her famous tender steak bites and it was the most comforting and delicious meal to welcome us and kick off the holiday season.
I’m curious--does your family usually do the typical marshmallow sweet potato casserole for your big Thanksgiving meal or do you do some other type of sweet potato casserole? Please share your thoughts in the comments below.
2 pounds yams
3-4 peeled and sliced baking apples (such as Fuji, Gala, Braeburn, Pink Lady or Honey Crisp)
Sauce:
1 scant cup sugar
5 tablespoons cornstarch
1 cup water
1/2 cup butter
Directions:
Add Recipe to Cook'n
My husband’s family has always had a different kind of sweet potatoes for their Thanksgiving meal that is so great and just the right amount of sweet. They lovingly call it “yams and apples” and for the members in their family, Thanksgiving just isn’t right without it.
Yes, it is technically a dish that is most often served for the big Thanksgiving meal, but it can certainly be made throughout the rest of the year with a nice meal and is the perfect side dish. We are working our way through the holidays and the winter season and it would be a lovely side dish you could try for a nice Sunday dinner this winter.
I have talked about this dish before because it was the special family recipe from my husband’s side that for some reason it felt like I was cursed or something because I never seemed to be able to get it to turn out the first couple times I tried. My mother-in-law put me in charge of making it for the Big Turkey Day the first couple years we were married and I would forget an ingredient, or make some other bone-headed mistake and it wouldn’t turn out like she made it, much to my chagrin. I think she really wanted me to learn to make something special from her side of the family so her son could have one of his favorite comfort foods once in a while.
Thankfully, I have since figured out how to make it turn out perfectly every time and don’t let my beginner's bad luck deter you from making it :) It is very easy. You fill a casserole dish with sliced, barely cooked-through sweet potatoes and sliced, peeled apples.
You should choose types of apples that hold up well to baking, which could include: Honeycrisp, Gala, Fuji, Braeburn, Pink Ladies, and Honey Gold, to name a few.
Next, you make a smooth and silky, creamy sauce to pour over the yams and apples and bake it at 350 for 30 minutes before serving. The key for the sauce to turn out smooth and silky instead of lumpy (like it did the first couple times I made it) is to mix the sugar and cornstarch together first in the cold pan. This is all it takes for the cornstarch to thicken the sauce and be smooth at the same time. You add a stick of butter and a cup of water and cook on medium, continually stirring for about 5-7 minutes, until the sauce becomes a smooth, milky-colored sauce.
We drove up to see family for the Christmas holiday and my mother-in-law made this as a side dish with her famous tender steak bites and it was the most comforting and delicious meal to welcome us and kick off the holiday season.
I’m curious--does your family usually do the typical marshmallow sweet potato casserole for your big Thanksgiving meal or do you do some other type of sweet potato casserole? Please share your thoughts in the comments below.
Jeri’s Yams and Apples
Serving size: 8
Calories per serving: 344
Ingredients:
Calories per serving: 344
2 pounds yams
3-4 peeled and sliced baking apples (such as Fuji, Gala, Braeburn, Pink Lady or Honey Crisp)
Sauce:
1 scant cup sugar
5 tablespoons cornstarch
1 cup water
1/2 cup butter
Directions:
Get a big pot of water full of water and turn on high to start boiling water. Cut sweet potatoes in halves or thirds until you have about 3-4 inch sections and plop in pot of water. Boil for about 20 minutes, or until sweet potatoes are barely fork-tender. Drain sweet potatoes and after they are cooled a bit, peel the skins off and cut into 1-inch slices and place in 9x13-inch casserole dish.
Peel and slice about 4-5 apples and sprinkle over sweet potatoes in casserole dish. Now it’s time to make the magic sauce.
Add your sugar and cornstarch to a saucepan and stir together to incorporate the cornstarch so it doesn’t clump. Add water and butter and cook, stirring constantly on medium-low to medium until sauce thickens and turns a glistening, slightly-milky color. Pour sauce over yams and apples and bake for 30 minutes in a 350 degree oven.
*This makes enough for one 9x13-inch pan of yams and apples.
Peel and slice about 4-5 apples and sprinkle over sweet potatoes in casserole dish. Now it’s time to make the magic sauce.
Add your sugar and cornstarch to a saucepan and stir together to incorporate the cornstarch so it doesn’t clump. Add water and butter and cook, stirring constantly on medium-low to medium until sauce thickens and turns a glistening, slightly-milky color. Pour sauce over yams and apples and bake for 30 minutes in a 350 degree oven.
*This makes enough for one 9x13-inch pan of yams and apples.
Recipe formatted with the Cook'n Recipe Software from DVO Enterprises.
Sources:
- www.flickr.com
Mary Richardson
Weekly Newsletter Contributor since 2014
Email the author! mary@dvo.com
