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a sweet potato casserole with a rough crumbly pecan-and-flour streusel crust over smooth orange filling in an ordinary baking dish
Rachel Kim

Pecan Streusel Sweet Potato Casserole

The pecan topping should crumble when a spoon breaks through it. It shouldn't peel away as one hard sheet. Steam the potatoes for this filling so they soften without sitting in water, then fold in buttermilk for a little tang beneath the brown sugar. The streusel uses flour and cold butter, with chopped nuts distributed through the crumbs rather than whole halves laid out like a decoration. Rub it together only until clumps form, and keep it cool while you finish the mash so those clumps survive the first few minutes in the oven.
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Prep Time 25 minutes
Cook Time 1 hour
Total Time 1 hour 25 minutes
Servings: 10
Ingredients Method

Ingredients
  

  • 3 lbs sweet potatoes peeled and cut into 1-inch chunks
  • 3 tbsp unsalted butter softened, for filling
  • 1/2 cup buttermilk
  • 2 tbsp packed light brown sugar for filling
  • 1 large egg
  • 1 tsp vanilla extract
  • 3/4 tsp fine salt divided
  • 3/4 cup chopped pecans
  • 1/2 cup all-purpose flour
  • 1/3 cup packed light brown sugar for topping
  • 4 tbsp cold unsalted butter cubed, for topping
  • 1 tsp unsalted butter for the dish

Method
 

  1. Bring 1 inch of water to a simmer in a large pot fitted with a steamer basket. Add sweet potatoes, cover and steam for 20 to 25 minutes until very tender, checking that the pot does not boil dry.
  2. Heat the oven to 350°F and grease a 2-quart baking dish. Mash the potatoes with filling butter, buttermilk, filling sugar, vanilla and 1/2 teaspoon salt; let cool until warm, then mix in the egg.
  3. Combine pecans, flour, topping sugar and remaining salt in a bowl. Rub in the cold topping butter until coarse clumps form.
  4. Spread the filling in the baking dish and scatter the streusel evenly over it without pressing it into a solid layer.
  5. Bake for 30 to 35 minutes until the topping is browned and the center reaches 160°F. Let stand for 10 minutes before serving.