Gayle’s Sweet Potato Casserole
4 cups baked sweet potatoes, peeled and mashed (see note)
½ cup (1 stick) butter, softened
½ cup granulated sugar
¼ cup light brown sugar, packed
¼ cup evaporated milk
2 large eggs
Topping
2 cups cornflakes, crushed (for 1 cup crumbs)
½ cup light brown sugar, packed
½ cup (1 stick) butter, melted
¼ cup finely chopped pecans
Heat oven to 375 degrees. Spray a shallow 2-quart casserole dish with nonstick cooking oil spray and set aside. In the large bowl of an electric mixer (or using a hand mixer), blend well all casserole ingredients. Spread in prepared dish. In medium bowl, mix together all topping ingredients and sprinkle over the sweet potato mixture. Bake 45 minutes, or until golden on the edges and topping is crispy. (At 30 minutes, check to see whether the topping is getting too brown. If it is, cover dish with foil and continue to bake for the remaining 15 minutes, uncovering only in the last few minutes to ensure a crisp topping.)Serves 12.Cook#146;s notes: Four medium sweet potatoes (2 to 3 pounds) yield about 4 cups mashed potatoes. A little more or less will not affect the delicious outcome of this casserole. To prepare potatoes, wash and dry them and prick several times with a sharp knife or fork. Bake sweet potatoes on a foil-lined tray 1 hour at 400 degrees. Cool to handling temperature to proceed with recipe, or refrigerate (peeled or unpeeled) up to 3 days before proceeding with casserole. Baked and peeled sweet potatoes may also be frozen up to a month. Thaw in the refrigerator before beginning casserole. Prebaked or prefrozen potatoes must be at room temperature (or slightly warmed in the microwave) before butter and egg will mix smoothly in the casserole. The casserole (without the topping) can be assembled and held in the refrigerator up to 24 hours before baking. Allow the casserole to adjust somewhat (about 30 minutes) to room temperature before topping and baking. To reheat large quantities of the casserole, warm slightly in the microwave and finish in a 325-degree oven for a crisper topping.@Recipe nutrition:Nutrition values per serving: 332 calories (50 percent from fat), 18.5 g fat (10 g saturated), 45 g carbohydrates, 3 g fiber, 4 g protein, 74 mg cholesterol, 82 mg sodium.