An easy side dish that's delicious with a holiday meal, or any meal all year long. It combines naturally sweet mashed sweet potatoes with orange zest, butter, brown sugar and a touch of nutmeg and cinnamon.
Rinse the sweet potatoes, leave the peels on, and use a fork to prick holes in each one. Bake for 60 minutes or until a fork easily slides into the sweet potato. As an option, place the sweet potatoes on a paper towel in the microwave and use the potato setting on the microwave to cook until soft enough for the fork to slide easily into the potato.
Remove from the oven and cover lightly with a piece of aluminum foil. Cool the potatoes for 10-15 minutes. Using a small knife to slice the skins, they should easily separate from the sweet potato filling and the skins should come off easily.
Scoop out the sweet potato flesh and place in a large bowl. Add butter, brown sugar, 1 teaspoon of orange zest, cinnamon, nutmeg and salt. Use an electric mixer and whip until the the butter is melted and the potatoes are the consistency of mashed potatoes.
Grease a 9” x 13” baking dish or spray with Pam.
Spread sweet potato mixture into the baking dish.
In a medium-sized bowl, place marshmallows, the remaining 1 teaspoon of orange zest and ¼ teaspoon of pepper. Toss until the marshmallows are lightly seasoned with the zest and pepper.
Spread the marshmallows across the top of the sweet potato mixture then sprinkle with the pecans.
Bake
Place in a 375° F oven for 15-20 minutes or until the marshmallows are lightly browned.
To Make Ahead
Bake the sweet potatoes and follow each step in the recipe except for adding the marshmallow topping. Cover the sweet potato and refrigerate for up to two days ahead. About an hour before you plan to serve the casserole, remove the dish with the sweet potato mixture from the refrigerator. Let the dish sit at room temperature for 30 minutes. Preheat oven to 375° F. Add marshmallows and pecans. Cover with foil and bake for 15 minutes. Uncover and bake for another 10 - 15 minutes or until the marshmallows are lightly browned. Watch closely during the last few minutes to ensure the marshmallows don't burn.
Notes
Curious about the difference between yams and sweet potatoes? The yams that we buy in a standard U.S. grocery store are almost always just a different variety of sweet potato and yes, they will work great in this recipe. For a classic meal combination, serve this sweet potato casserole with Zucchini Stuffing Casserole and wrap up the meal by serving Pumpkin Pie with Sweetened Condensed Milk for dessert. A classic holiday-inspired flavor combination. For another delicious recipe that taps into the great flavor of oranges, be sure to try Orange Rolls, a classic homemade cinnamon roll recipe.