Sweet Potato Bake Topped with Coconut & Brown Sugar

I don’t know about you, but I must have sweet potatoes at Thanksgiving. This recipe is one of my favorites. It is almost dessert-like, however, is savory enough to be served with the main course. The coconut and brown sugar topping adds the right amount of sweetness and crunch contrasted with the smooth sweet potato layer. It is an easy recipe to prep and pop in the oven while the turkey is cooking. The flavors embody the season and holiday – you will definitely be going for seconds (or thirds). If you have pecans on hand, you can add those to the topping as well. Delicious!

Ingredient List
3 cups mashed sweet potatoes
1 tsp vanilla
1/3 cup butter melted
1/3 cup flour
1/3 cup brown sugar
1/2 cup shredded coconut

Method
Preheat oven to 350.

Boil sweet potatoes until tender, peel and mash. Mash sweet potatoes with vanilla.


In a 9 x 13 baking pan, spread mashed sweet potatoes in pan. Set aside.

Combine melted butter, flour, pecans, brown sugar, and coconut together. 
Once combined, top the mashed sweet potatoes with this layer. 

Cover and bake for 20 minutes. After 20 minutes, uncover and cook for an additional 10 minutes or until the topping is golden and bubbling.

Variations 
Add a cup of pecans or walnuts to the coconut-brown sugar topping.

If you want some extra sweetness (and why not, it’s the holidays), add some mini marshmallows the last 10 minutes of baking. Or if you have leftovers, you can always add marshmallows to the serving you heat up the next day.

Playlist
Monica: You will most likely be eating this with the rest of your meal. So here are some great musical selections for the “main event”:
1) “Dancing in the Dark” Cannonball Adderley
2) “Something” The Beatles
3) “Northern Sky” Nick Drake
4) “Caminando Por La Calle” Gipsy Kings
5) “Rich Woman” Robert Plant & Allison Krauss

Drink of Choice
Monica: Whatever you are drinking with your Thanksgiving meal – for me, that will probably be a glass of Riesling.

A Recipe to Remember?
It has become a favorite in my family and is a traditional dish that I’ve enjoyed for over 10 years. I hope it becomes a favorite for you and your family and friends as well.