Sweet Potato Casserole

1. Preheat Oven and Prepare Sweet Potatoes

Begin by adjusting your oven rack to the middle position and preheating the oven to 450°F. Use a paring knife to poke several holes in each sweet potato, which helps steam escape during baking. Arrange the sweet potatoes on a rimmed baking sheet lined with aluminum foil, and bake them until they are very tender and easily squeezed, which should take about 1 to 1.5 hours. If your sweet potatoes are smaller, they might be done in 45 minutes.

2. Grease Baking Dish and Prepare Streusel

While the sweet potatoes are baking, grease a 13 by 9-inch baking dish with some butter. To prepare the streusel, pulse the flour, dark brown sugar, and table salt for streusel in a food processor. Add the softened butter and continue to pulse until the mixture resembles coarse crumbs. Add the pecans and pulse a few more times until they are roughly chopped. Transfer this streusel mixture to a medium bowl and set it aside.

3. Cool and Scoop Sweet Potatoes

Once the sweet potatoes are done baking, let them cool for at least 10 minutes. This cooling period allows the steam to escape and makes them easier to handle. Cut the sweet potatoes open and scoop the flesh into a large bowl.

4. Process Sweet Potato Filling

Transfer half of the sweet potato flesh to the food processor and break up any large chunks with a spoon or spatula. Add the melted butter, table salt for filling, ground nutmeg, ground black pepper, vanilla extract, and lemon juice to the sweet potatoes in the food processor. Process everything until it is smooth and well-blended. Taste the mixture and, if necessary, add up to 4 tablespoons of granulated sugar to adjust the sweetness. Add the egg yolks and half-and-half, and process for 20 seconds to ensure a smooth and uniform filling.

5. Combine and Bake

Combine the processed sweet potato filling with the remaining chunks of sweet potato in the large bowl. Pour this mixture into the prepared baking dish and spread it out evenly. Sprinkle the streusel topping over the sweet potato filling. Bake the casserole in the preheated oven for 40 to 45 minutes, until the topping is well browned and the filling is puffy around the edges. Allow the casserole to cool for at least 10 minutes before serving. This cooling time helps the flavors meld and makes it easier to serve.