- Course: Dessert, Side Dish
- Skill Level: Easy
- Cost: Inexpensive
- Favorited: 16 Times
Recipe
(United States)
This marvelously creamy, spice-infused side dish is one of the best things you could ever serve to guests. (It is 100 percent guaranteed to move your usual holiday sweet potato recipe off the map.) Okay, some grouches could mumble that its sweetness level makes it most suitable for dessert, but they’ll retract their doubts when it’s served with glazed ham or roast turkey.
“This is my grandmother’s recipe,” says Sheila Johnson. “She was a great baker and a great chef. We used to have sweet potatoes all the time, but she only made this recipe for the holidays, so we didn’t get it often. It is my favorite sweet potato recipe. It can be served as a dessert or as an excellent side dish. We used it for dessert most frequently, and then used the leftovers as a side dish the next day.”
Ingredients
- 3 large sweet potatoes, “Louisiana yams,” about 2 pounds, peeled and grated
- 4 tablespoons (½ stick) unsalted butter, melted
- 1½ cups granulated sugar
- 3 large eggs, at room temperature
- 1 (12-ounce) can evaporated milk
- 1 cup milk
- ½ teaspoon ground cinnamon
- ½ teaspoon ground allspice
- ½ teaspoon grated nutmeg
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- Grated zest of 1 lemon, or ½ teaspoon lemon extract
Directions
1. Position a rack in the center of the oven, and preheat to 375°. Lightly butter a 2-quart casserole.
2. Combine the sweet potatoes and butter in a large bowl. In a medium bowl, whisk together the sugar and eggs until light and lemon-colored. Add this to the sweet potatoes, and stir just until blended. Then gradually whisk in the evaporated and regular milks, cinnamon, allspice, nutmeg, vanilla extract, and lemon zest. Pour into the prepared casserole.
3. Bake, stirring well two or three times, until sweet potatoes are tender and the top is lightly browned, about 1 hour. let stand 5 min before serving.
© 1991 Eric V. Copage
Nutritional Information
This recipe serves 8.






eldiva
02.11.11 Flag commentVery delicious BUT eventhough my temperture was set to 375 degrees, it took about 2 hours for the potato to finally become tender!!! I even cranked up the heat to 400 for 30 minutes and then 450 for the last half hour since it still had so long to cook. I did ended up covering it up with foil for the last hour (poked with holes to let some steam out) so that it wouldn't burn, but still be able to cook. I do love the texture in this recipe, better than the mushy sweet potato side dishes people normally make. It's now one of my favorite sweet potato side dishes- better as a dessert I think, but my husband loved it as a side with BBQ chicken ... For an even sweeter kick - cover with marshmellows the last 5 minutes of cooking time, uncovered of course...delicious. ENJOY!