Rating:

5.0 (1 vote)

I adore sweet potatoes for their color, natural sweetness, and creamy texture. Plus, they're high in fiber and Vitamins A & C. I've never been fond of pureed sweet potatoes or canned yams that are overly sweetened and bogged down with butter, brown sugar, pecans, and marshmallows. I like to see pieces or slices in my sweet potato casserole on Thanksgiving Day and this version has proven to be my favorite for several years. Lighly sweetened with pure maple syrup, this recipe doesn't seem overly sweet or buttery in the least. The streusel topping gets surprisingly crunchy and is such a nice departure from that predictable marshmallow topping we all know.

3-4 pounds sweet potatoes, peeled
¼ cup pure maple syrup
2 tbsp butter
1 tbsp apple cider vinegar
1 tsp kosher salt
½ tsp freshly ground black pepper

1 cup flour
½ cup raw sugar
1/3 cup brown sugar
¾ tsp cinnamon
6 tbsp butter, melted

Grate the end of one sweet potato against a box grater to yield ½ cup of grated potato for the topping. Set aside. Slice the sweet potatoes into rounds, between ¼ and ½ inch thick. Arrange the sweet potato rounds in the bottom of a buttered baking dish or in several smaller buttered baking dishes.

In a small saucepan, combine ½ cup water with the maple syrup, butter, cider vinegar, salt and pepper. Pour over the sweet potatoes and cover with foil.

Bake at 375 degrees.

In the mean time, prepare the streusel by combining the flour, sugars, and cinnamon in a bowl. Add in the ½ cup of grated sweet potato and add the butter to combine.

Once the sweet potatoes are almost tender, about 30-40 minutes, remove the foil and increase the oven temperature to 400 degrees. Sprinkle the streusel over the potatoes and bake until the topping is golden brown and the sweet potatoes are very tender.