Ya’ Gotta Make These Thanksgiving Sweet Potatoes

Mention Thanksgiving and we all think of family gatherings and FOOD. We remember the family recipes that we enjoy year after year and know that if tradition had a “taste” it would be the foods that make up our Thanksgiving Day meal.

So when I moved away from home and wanted to create my first Thanksgiving meal, I simply followed my family’s recipes. Well, most of them. This recipe is the exception. These. Sweet. Potatoes. Are. The. Best.

I wanted the same turkey and dressing that I grew up eating. I wanted the same gravy. But forget the sweet potatoes! I can’t even remember how they were prepared because I’ve been making these sweet potatoes for the past 3+ decades. This recipe won me over the moment I tasted it. We can thank GG (my sons’ Great-Grandmother) for this delicious-ness! Did I mention it has marshmallows on top? It is one of my favorites Thanksgiving dishes.

Oh – and here’s a trick:  don’t bother peeling the sweet potatoes before you boil them. Boil the sweet potatoes without peeling them – just rinse them off and submerge them in a pot of water. Bring to a boil on high heat, then turn down the heat to medium and cook until the potatoes are done (stick ‘em with a fork to make sure). Let the sweet potatoes cool and the peeling will just slip off. So easy!

Here’s what you need:

5 medium to large sweet potatoes

1 teaspoon vanilla

1 cup white sugar

2 eggs

1/4 milk

1 stick (1/2 cup) butter

1 tsp cinnamon

Marshmallows – large or small 

Cook and mash the sweet potatoes. Add the rest of the ingredients and mix well.

Place sweet potato mixture in baking dish sprayed with non-stick cooking spray and bake 45 minutes at 350 degrees.

Remove from oven, top with marshmallows (it will take about half a bag) and return to oven until the marshmallows are brown. Watch carefully – they brown quickly.

Need another great side for your Thanksgiving dinner? Try this Cranberry Salad! It’s the only way I will eat cranberries and I just love it! There are marshmallows involved in this recipe, too. . . . !

Happy Thanksgiving!