Sweet Potato Custard

3 large sweet potatoes (3-4 cups)
1/2 cup sugar
1/2 cup melted butter
2 eggs
1 tsp. vanilla
1/3 cup milk

Topping:
2 1/2 tbsp. butter, melted
1/2 cup sugar (I used 1/4 cup)
1/4 cup flour
1/2 cup chopped pecans

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  Peel, chop and boil sweet potatoes.  Drain, mash and cool.  Add 1/2 cup butter, eggs, vanilla and milk.  Mix well using an electric mixer.  Pour into a 1 to 2 qt. casserole dish sprayed with non-stick spray.  In a small boil mix topping ingredients.  Evenly sprinkle over potatoes.  Bake 30-40 minutes.

Comment:  This recipe was sent to me from a friend.  Mine didn't come out like a custard but more like a souffle which is ok too.   I did use my almond milk instead of regular and used 7 what I called medium size potatoes which I measured after mashing and I ended up with about 3 1/2 cups.  I don't know if that made the difference in it not being like a custard but like I said, it doesn't matter because this dish is so good I could have grabbed a spoon, stood at the counter and ate!  Now, there are a couple of changes I will make next time, and there will be plenty of next times with this dish.  I'll decrease the sugar to 1/4 for the potato mixture.  This will be just as good using less.  I did decrease the sugar for the topping to 1/4 cup instead of 1/2 and will decrease that even more.  Maybe to 1/8.  To be completely honest, this would be good with no added sugar in the potatoes and just the sugar on the topping.  This is a must try dish that is easy to make, so good and aren't sweet potatoes good for you?

Comment from Carol:  Smooth, creamy (without milk) sweet potatoes, pecans, faint hit of coconut-almond - this sweet potato dish relies mostly on the sweetness in the potato.  It is so good that I've already constructed two dinner menus around this dish!  It's a centerpiece!  Try this!!!

Sweet Potato Souffle

1 can (21 oz.) Baked Sweet Potatoes
3/4 cup sugar
2 eggs
1 stick butter, melted
1 cup milk
1/2 tsp. nutmeg
1 tsp. cinnamon

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  In a large bowl mix potatoes and sugar.  In another bowl mix together melted butter, milk nutmeg and cinnamon.  Add eggs and whisk until smooth.  Whisk into potatoes.  Pour into a 3 qt. baking dish sprayed with non-stick spray.  Bake 60 minutes. 

Topping:
1/2 cup crushed honey nut oats cereal
1/2 cup chopped pecans
1/2 stick butter , cut into chunks
1/4 cup brown sugar

Combine all topping ingredients in a sauce pan.  On med. heat stir until butter has melted and sugar has dissolved.  Add topping to cooked Soufflé.  Bake another 5 minutes.  Serves 8-10.

Comments:  The original recipe came from a vintage cookbook that dated in the 50s.  It called for more sugar in the potato mix but the sweet potatoes I used (Bruce's) are slightly sweetened so I decreased it to 3/4 cup.  The topping called for corn flakes.  I changed that to honey nut oats and decreased the sugar there too since the cereal is sweet.  The other change I made was the cooking time and temperature.  The original didn't give the dish size but their cooking time was only 20 minutes at 400 degrees.  I used a 3 qt. dish and lowered the temp to 350 and cooked 1 hour.  This dish is now my favorite recipe for sweet potato soufflé.  The flavor is so good and the cereal makes it even better.  This can actually be made using 1 cup of cereal, eliminating the pecans.

Sweet Potato Pie

1 can (21 oz.) Bruce's Baked Sweet Potatoes
1 can (14 oz.) sweetened condensed milk
2 large eggs
1 tsp. ground cinnamon
1/2 tsp. ground ginger
1/2 tsp. ground nutmet
1/2 tsp. salt
1 unbaked deep dish pie crust

Preheat oven to 425 degrees.  With a mixer beat potatoes, milk, eggs and spices until well blended.  Pour into pie shell.  Bake 15 minutes and then reduce heat to 350 degrees.  Bake another 60-70 minutes or until a knife inserted in the center comes out clean.

Comments - About 30 minutes into baking at the 350 degrees I laid a piece of foil over the top to stop the browning of the crust.  This pie is thick and oh so good, as well as easy to make.  When my pie was done I dabbed it with thin slices of butter and sprinkled just a little sugar over the top.  Then I placed it back into the oven just long enough for the butter to melt completely.  Changes - top with marshmallows and pecans.  But for me, I loved this the way it is.