Thanksgiving Hacks - PART TWO

WOULDN’T YOU LIKE TO BE A THANKSGIVING PREPPER TOO?

You’ll be surprised how many dishes can be prepped in advance of Thanksgiving. So many of the tedious, labor-intensive foods can be chopped, baked, mashed, & frozen weeks ahead of time.

LET’S START WITH SWEET POTATO CASSEROLE (AKA “SWEET POTATO CRACK”).

You can prep sweet potatoes and topping up to one month early. This recipe will fill one 10x12 disposable foil pan.

This sweet potato casserole uses mashed or pureed baked sweet potatoes. To make life easier, I bake & mash the sweet potatoes several before Thanksgiving. Try to find sweet potatoes that are all about the same diameter. I prefer thinner potatoes over fatter, because those fat potatoes take longer to bake.

PREP SWEET POTATOES – Line a cookie sheet with foil or parchment paper. Don’t skip this step, or you’ll have to scrub the cookie sheet.

Preheat oven to 400°. Wash, prick & roast 6 lb. of sweet potatoes, and place them on the cookie sheet. Bake at 400° for about 90 minutes. You’ll know they’re done if they feel quite squishy when you squeeze them. If they’re not soft, bake an additional 15 minutes.

Remove cookie sheet from oven and carefully cut hot potatoes in half lengthwise. While they’re still hot, cut through the potatoes cross-wise – to cut through any stringiness - then scoop out the flesh into a medium size mixing bowl. Mash immediately, then allow them to cool. Put them into a gallon freezer bag, squeeze out any air pockets, seal, then lay the bag flat in the freezer.  If you are prepping the week of Thanksgiving, you can store pureed potatoes in the fridge.

PREP STREUSEL TOPPING – In medium bowl, mix 1 cup light brown sugar, ½ stick melted butter, 1/3 cup flour & 1 cup chopped pecans or walnuts. Mix well. Pop into a container with a lid & refrigerate until Thanksgiving Day. It should be crumbly. If it looks like one big clump, spread it out on a cookie sheet & refrigerate until the butter gets firm. Break up clumps and put into container in the fridge until you’re ready to cook the casserole.

MAKE & BAKE THE SWEET POTATO CRACK - A few days before Thanksgiving, place the bag of frozen sweet potatoes into the fridge to defrost, so they’re completely thawed the day before you plan to bake them. I usually set the frozen bag into a foil pan to catch any condensation or leaks as the potatoes defrost. I use the same pan to bake the casserole on Thanksgiving. After the sweet potatoes are defrosted, you’re ready to make the magic happen.

In a medium bowl, mix together ½ cup sugar (white or brown), ½ tsp. salt, 2 beaten eggs, ½ stick melted butter, 2/3 cup whole milk or evaporated milk (NOT sweetened condensed), and 1 tsp. vanilla or bourbon. You can also add 1 T. maple syrup, if desired. If you like any other seasoning in your potatoes, such as cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg, cayenne pepper, etc., add it now.

Put the defrosted sweet potatoes into a large bowl and add the sugar & egg mixture from the small bowl. Stir well to combine.

Or, for fun, you can add the sugar & egg mixture to the potatoes while they’re still in the bag. Just squeeze out any air pockets, seal it tight and tape the top so it won’t pop open, then use your hands to mix everything together. This is a great opportunity to get children involved. They’ll love the squishy bag, and they might just eat some sweet potatoes if they’ve helped make them.

Pour into greased 9x13 pan (or similar size foil pan). Cover with foil & refrigerate until Thanksgiving Day.

THANKSGIVING DAY – Take pan out of the fridge two hours before you plan to put it into the oven. Let it sit on the counter (away from the hot stove) until you’re ready to bake it. If they’re too cold going into the oven the sweet potatoes will take much longer to cook.

90 minutes before dinner – preheat oven to 350°.

75 minutes before dinner - Pop the foil-covered casserole into 350° oven. Bake covered for 35 minutes. Carefully remove from oven & take the foil off. Stir well (it will be hot at the edges & still cool in the middle), smooth it back out, then liberally cover casserole with the streusel topping. Bake uncovered for 25 minutes. It’s okay if the casserole comes out of the oven 10-15 minutes before dinner. It will be the temperature of molten lava, so it’s good if it sits for a bit before anyone takes a bite.

If you try this recipe, please let me know what you think.

NEXT UP… PART THREE - more side dishes to make ahead of time!