Sweet Potatoes with Brown Sugar-Pecan Topping

Taken from November 2008 Prevention magazine
by: Amy Mihele

*I made this a week before Thanksgiving and loved it so much I made it for the holiday too. My family LOVED it and I’ve been making monthly ever since. I just pick up a bag of sweet potatoes from Trader Joe’s and bake the whole thing. It’s easy and so sweet and yummy. Even my mom, who has not liked sweet potato pie since she’s been a kid, couldn’t stop eating it! ENJOY!

Time: 2 Hours 10 Minutes
Servings: 6

2 ½ lb sweet potatoes scrubbed
¾ c chopped pecans
3 Tbsp brown sugar
½ tsp ground cinnamon
PREHEAT oven to 375 degrees
PLACE potatoes on rimmed baking sheet. Bake 1 to 1 ½ hours, depending on size, until soft when squeezed with a gloved hand. Let cool slightly and then halve. Scoop insides into medium bowl (discard skin). Mash with potato masher until smooth. Add salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste, if desired(I never add the salt or pepper). Coat 9” glass pie plate with cooking spray. Transfer mashed sweet potatoes to prepared pie plate. Smooth the surface.
MIX pecans, sugar, and cinnamon in small bowl. (I love nuts, but don’t use them in this recipe.) Sprinkly evenly over sweet potatoes. (I also add more cinnamon that what this recipe states, I’m trying to make up for the non-use of nuts. J Actually we love cinnamon!)
COVER with foil and bake 20-25 minutes, until heated through. Uncover and bake 10 minutes longer, until pecans are lightly browned and top is crusty.
DO AHEAD: Bake sweet potatoes and assemble the dish earlier in the day; cover and refrigerate. Let stand a few minutes on counter before placing in oven about 45 minutes before dinnertime.
NUTRITIONAL INFO PER SERVING: 232 cal, 4 g pro, 33 g carb, 5 g fiber, 11 g fat, 1 g sat fat, 0 mg chol, 44 mg sodium