Sweet Potato Casserole with Variations

• One of the big family celebrations in America, i.e. Thanksgiving, Christmas and the Superbowl, is a hearty, sweet casserole. Whether it should serve as a side dish or as a dessert, the ghosts argue about, as in this country, whether there should be roast or rather potato salad for Christmas. The casserole, as the casserole is called in the USA, is often a guarded family secret and varies from family to family. The recipes also differ from region to region, depending on what was traditionally grown there. Depending on the ingredients used, the Thanksgiving or Christmas casserole is really healthy!
• The sweet potato casserole is very common, the preparation of which we describe in detail here. There is no one recipe for Sweet Potato Casserole, as the casserole is called, there are many different recipes around. There are many variations, especially when it comes to the crust. The use of pecans for the topping is very common. They are either sprinkled on, caramelized a little, mixed with marshmallows or made into sprinkles.
• Just as a certain type of preparation belongs to a family in the USA, you too can let off steam to find your favorite casserole. You can use this basic recipe as a guide and try out what happens when you replace one or the other ingredient. The sweet potato casserole without sugar quickly turns into a pumpkin casserole with coconut milk with feta topping, a broccoli and zucchini casserole or a beetroot casserole. It is important that the vegetables are pre-cooked, otherwise the casserole will take a long time and the topping will dry out or even burn. This is especially true if meat is to be used. A minced meat casserole or a casserole with chicken strips is best and safest if you sear the meat beforehand.
• Since the sweet potato casserole is a feast recipe, a large amount is expected to fill around 12 people as a side dish. However, the casserole can be kept for a few days in the refrigerator, so it doesn't matter if something is left over.

For the filling:

• Peel the sweet potatoes, cut into pieces of roughly the same size and cover with water in a large saucepan. Bring the water to a boil, then set the stove so that it only simmered gently. When the sweet potatoes are soft (this takes about 15 minutes), drain them off, let them cool down briefly and mash them.
• Mix the mash with the remaining ingredients for the filling and place in a large baking dish.

For the simple pecan topping:

• Mix the sugar and flour. Gradually stir in the butter, then add the pecans.
• Pour the topping over the filling and bake the casserole at 170 degrees for about half an hour until the surface is appetizingly browned.

For the pecan crumble:

• Mix the ingredients together with the hand mixer on a high setting until crumbly crumbles are formed.
• Put the crumble on the filling and bake the casserole at 170 degrees for about half an hour until the crumble has taken on some color. If you want, you can add mini marshmallows in the last ten minutes.

For the pecan marshmallow topping:

• Put the pecans on the casserole, some of them can be mixed in.
• Depending on how dark the marshmallows are to be baked, they can be placed on the casserole in the oven now or in the last ten minutes.
• Bake in the oven at 170 degrees for about half an hour.