Sweet Potato Day, Meet Bourbon & Marshmallows
When ONE asked me to share a recipe in honor of Sweet Potato Day -- an effort to raise awareness about world hunger -- I immediately thought of a recipe I enjoyed one Thanksgiving in Maryland. Jon and I were away from our families and our dear friend Joe invited us to his mom Chris's house. It meant so much to me to be welcomed in for the holidays, and the food -- including Chris's sweet potato casserole with bourbon and marshmallows -- was insanely good.
But before I get to the recipe, will you please take one or both of the following actions in honor of Sweet Potato Day?
1. Send a letter to Congress to show your support of foreign assistance to those in need. Less then 1% of the US budget is spent on foreign assistance and if these funds are cut, millions could lose access to food, medication, and AIDS treatment. Scroll down here and fill out your contact information to send a letter. I just sent a digital letter and it took all of 10 seconds.
2. Sign a petition to show your commitment to reducing chronic malnutrition for 25 million kids by 2016. Scroll down here to sign the petition; I just did so and it took all of 5 seconds.
Sweet potatoes are packed with vitamin A; they're saving lives in Africa as I type and you just took two lightning fast actions to help save lives -- GO YOU! Now you ought to reward yourself with some sweet potato love! This recipe was generously shared by Chris Nielsen (who also happens to be a globally minded innovator via New Pathways to Enterprise). Thank you, Chris, for sharing this recipe today and welcoming Jon and me into your home!
Sweet Potato Casserole with Bourbon & Marshmallows
[download recipe PDF]
This is a holiday favorite. Sweet potatoes can be pre-cooked in microwave in the morning. The casserole layering can be done in advance and refrigerated if necessary, so most preparations can be completed at your convenience. Ingredient amounts are flexible, to suit your tastes and the size of your party.
1. Wash sweet potatoes; pierce each with a fork, 3-4 times per side. Microwave sweet potatoes until moderately soft to the touch, approximately 4-6 minutes, turning once half way through the process (cook them 1 or 2 at a time, not all at once). Set aside to cool then discard the potato skins and slice potatoes lengthwise, ~3/8 inch thick.
2. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Butter the bottoms and sides of a 1.5 - 3 quart casserole dish. Place first layer of sweet potato slices on bottom of casserole. Top with several pats of butter per potato slice (adjust to your preference). Sprinkle several tablespoons of dark brown sugar on top of first buttered potato layer (amount depends on your preference). Repeat layers of potato, butter, and brown sugar until you've used up all the sweet potatoes.
3. Pour bourbon into the casserole dish, soaking the bottom up to 1/4 - 1/3 inch. (This cook prefers Wild Turkey bourbon.)
4. Cover and bake for 35 minutes, then remove from oven. Add ~1 cup miniature marshmallows to cover top. Return uncovered casserole dish to oven and continue cooking until marshmallows are golden, ~ 5-10 minutes.
And here's a roundup of other amazing sweet potato recipes you'll want to try, via my fellow Sweet Potato Day bloggers:
Image credits: ONE