Sweet Potato Delight

1. Scrub potatoes, but leave peels. In a medium dutch oven or stock pot, cover the potatoes with water and boil over high heat. Lower the the heat to medium-high, set the pot lid on sideways to allow some steam to escape, and allow to continue to boil about 30 minutes, or until tender enough to break open with a fork. Drain and allow to cool.
2. While the potatoes are boiling, preheat the oven to 350F.
3. TOPPING: do a rough chop on the pecans. Combine sugar, flour, butter and nuts and mix with an electric mixer or food processor just until crumbly. Set aside.
4. BASE: Cream sugar, butter, eggs. Stir in milk and vanilla. Slip the “jackets” off the cooled sweet potatoes and mash them. This should measure approximately 6 cups of mashed sweet potatoes, give or take. Add to the creamed mixture and pour into a 9×13 pan.
5. Sprinkle a little over half of the topping over the base (this is about what the original recipe calls for). My family loves the toasted pecan mixture, so I usually use all of it. You decide how much you want. If you decide to not use all, just freeze it until the next time you make the casserole, or just sprinkle it on plain baked/grilled sweet potatoes. It won’t go to waste either way.
6. Bake at 350F for about 60 minutes, or until toasted on top and set in the middle.
7. Let stand for 10 minutes before serving.