My husband and I host Thanksgiving dinner, but my sister-in-law, Carol Vatz, always brings the sweet potatoes. She got the original recipe, which is scribbled on the back of an envelope, at a Thanksgiving meal in New York decades ago. She has changed it over the years to reduce the sugar and butter, and I tweaked it a bit more in testing. I suggest starting with the lesser amounts listed, tasting the casserole before baking it, and adding more if you want.
4 large eggs
1 1/3 cups milk
4–8 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted
1/2-3/4 cup brown sugar
4–5 cups mashed sweet potatoes (see Note)
1/4-1/2 cup bourbon
1/2 cup chopped pecans plus 10–12 pecan halves, divided
1/2-1 teaspoon cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon nutmeg
In a large bowl, beat the eggs until well combined. Stir in the milk, melted butter, and brown sugar. Add the mashed sweet potatoes and stir until smooth (an electric hand mixer on low/stir is good for this). Stir in the bourbon, chopped pecans, cinnamon, salt, and nutmeg. Taste and adjust the seasoning, if necessary.
Pour the mixture into a well-greased casserole dish and bake uncovered about 45 minutes or until firm. Arrange the pecan halves on the top and put the dish back in the oven for a few minutes to slightly brown the pecans, but don’t let them burn.
NOTE * About 5 pounds of sweet potatoes will yield 4–5 cups mashed. I roast rather than boil the sweet potatoes because roasting adds more flavor and less moisture to the casserole. Prick the skins with a fork and roast the sweet potatoes at 375° until the fork passes easily through the flesh.