B's Velvet Sweet Potatoes

The name was lovingly given by my friend Sue. I've won metaphorical awards at Marty family gatherings, and dinners with friends for these sweet potatoes. They are ever-present at Thanksgiving and Christmas dinner on my side of the family made by my cousin's wife who is an amazing cook and baker. She started making them years ago with this wonderful praline topping. But over the years, I began to miss the marshmallow top I remembered enjoying so much as a young girl when my grandma used to make them. So my cousin started making a small casserole dish of marshmallow topped sweet potatoes just for me. It didn't take long though, and other family members joined in my nostalgia and helped themselves to my toasted marshmallow dream-come-true... and now Jean just makes two big casseroles...one of each kind.

...so, praline or marshmallow topped; you decide...or be like us and choose both...but topping or not, your mouth will think it died and went to sweet potato heaven when you taste this velvety goodness.

adapted from Jean's recipe

Ingredients and Directions:

• 6 cups baked* mashed sweet potatoes

clean the sweet potatoes and make an X in the top with a knife. place them on a baking sheet and bake at 350 for 1 hour or until they are done. the baking time depends entirely on the size of your potatoes so check them frequently once they start to feel soft when squeezed. if you have varying sizes you can remove them from the oven as they finish baking. they will ooze and become almost carmelized. *Baking them versus boiling is the key to the amazingness of the finished product so give yourself plenty of time to make them or *BONUS* you can even make them the night before once they have cooled slightly you can easily remove the skins with a knife. To mash them a potato ricer works the best to get them extra smooth but if you don't have a ricer just use an electric mixer to mash them.

• 4 eggs beaten
• 2 cups sugar
• 1 cup melted butter
• 2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
• 2/3 cup heavy cream
• 1/2 teaspoon salt

mix the remaining ingredients into the mashed potatoes and put into a pretty casserole dish 9x13 or any one with the appropriate capacity. you can make them ahead up to this point and refrigerate them. 
note: you may have to adjust the baking time slightly if they are cold when you put them in the oven.

praline topping:

• 1 cup brown sugar
• 1/2 cup flour
• 5 tablespoons melted butter
• 1 cup chopped pecans

mix together and cover the top of the sweet potatoes and bake at 350 for 35-40 minutes

for the nostalgic marshmallow topping:

cover the top with large marshmallows for the last 15 minutes of baking time and cook until golden watching them closely.

Cream Cheese Mashed Potatoes

Ingredients:

• 5 lbs. potatoes, peeled, cooked and mashed
• 1 cup sour cream
• 1 8 oz. block of cream cheese, softened
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1 teaspoon onion salt
• fresh ground black pepper to taste (I like a lot)
• 1/2 - 3/4 cup (1 1/2 sticks) butter divided

Directions:

1. peel and clean 5 lbs potatoes. cut into small even-sized pieces. add to large pot of boiling water. return to boiling, reduce heat and cover. cook potatoes until fork-tender (about 15 - 20 minutes).
2. mash the cooked potatoes with an electric mixer.
3. add the cream cheese and mix well.
4. add the 1/2 cup (or a little less)butter and sour cream ***and mix well.
5. add salt, onion salt and fresh ground pepper mix well.
6. put into a 9 x 13 inch baking dish.
7. dot the top of potatoes with 1/4 cup butter.
8. cover with foil and bake for 40 minutes at 350 degrees.

***Roasted Garlic Mashed Potatoes option:  to make these wonderful mashed potatoes even more wonderful, sometimes I add roasted garlic.  Separate the cloves of one to two whole bulbs of garlic but don't peel them. toss them with 1 tablespoon of olive oil, place on a baking sheet and roast in a preheated 375 degree oven for 10 minutes or until very tender. cool slightly then squeeze the pulp from the garlic cloves into the pot of mashed potatoes and mix in with the butter and sour cream. continue with the directions above.