Eat In Recipe: Ruth’s Chris Sweet Potato Casserole

My grandma’s candied yams have been on the table every year for Thanksgiving for as long as I can remember.  I love traditions, but this year we changed things up a bit and tried out the much-praised Ruth’s Chris Sweet Potato Casserole recipe straight from Ruth’s Chris Chef Pat Gallagher (you can even watch a video of him whipping up a batch of this tasty dish on NOLA.com).

If you haven’t tried this recipe yet, let me tell you…it is divine!  It has a mashed potato base with an amazing brown sugar & pecan topping.  That topping is what makes this dish so delicious….it’s so good I’d eat it for dessert (and actually have).  It’s seriously like praline pecans on top of your sweet potatoes. 

I loved the turkey, the mashed potatoes, and rolls, but what I really couldn’t stop thinking about were these sweet potatoes!  

Ruth’s Chris Sweet Potato Casserole from NOLA.com
Sweet Potato Mixture:
3 c. sweet potatoes, mashed*
1 c. sugar
1/2 tsp. salt
1 tsp. vanilla
2 eggs, beaten
1/2 c. butter, melted (you can omit or reduce if desired)

Crust:
1 c. brown sugar
1/3 c. flour
1 c. chopped nuts (pecans preferred)
1/4 c. butter, melted (do not omit or reduce)

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Coat a medium-size casserole dish with nonstick spray. (I used a 9x9 pan.)
2. Combine sweet potatoes, sugar, salt, vanilla, eggs and butter in a large mixing bowl in the order listed. Beat thoroughly with a hand mixer to increase the fluffiness of the sweet potato mixture.
3. Pour mixture into the baking dish. Bake for 30 minutes. (At this point, dish can be covered and refrigerated.)
4. Sprinkle the surface of the sweet potato mixture evenly with the crust mixture and return to oven for 10 minutes. Allow to set at least 30 minutes before serving.
5. The brown sugar and pecan crust should be slightly browned and crunchy.

Serves 12. 

*Notes:  I baked my sweet potatoes before mashing, but the chef from Ruth’s Chris recommends boiling before mashing.  I actually assembled the whole thing & then baked for 30 minutes instead of baking twice & it still came out delicious. 

Average Fork Rating:  4.3
Mrs. Diner:  5
Amazing Diner:  5
Sweet Diner:  3