Recipe: Sweet Potato Casserole (with raisins, orange, pecans, pineapple and marshmallows)

SWEET POTATO CASSEROLE

"Grandmother Tillman uses fresh sweet potatoes for this holiday treat, and she likes the kind that are about the size of baking potatoes, with smooth skin and white or deep orange flesh. These are sometimes sold as yams-but real yams, which originated in Africa and Asia, have a hairy, bark like skin and usually aren't as sweet as sweet potatoes (which come from Central America)."

1/2 cup raisins
1/3 cup sweet sherry
3 medium sweet potatoes
2/3 cup brown sugar
4 tablespoons butter, melted
1/2 cup fresh orange juice
1 teaspoon finely chopped orange zest
1 teaspoon pumpkin spice (or 2/3 teaspoon ground cinnamon, 1/4 teaspoon ground ginger, pinch ground nutmeg, and pinch ground allspice)
1/2 cup coarsely chopped pecans
1 cup drained pineapple cubes, coarsely chopped
1 1/2 cups miniature marshmallows

Preheat oven to 375 degrees F.

Soak raisins in sherry until soft, about 30 minutes. Drain raisins and transfer to a large bowl, discarding sherry.

Meanwhile, place sweet potatoes in a roasting pan and bake until tender, about 40 minutes.

Allow potatoes to cool, then peel, puree with a food mill or food processor, and add to raisins. Add brown sugar, butter, orange juice, orange zest, and pumpkin spice and mix well. Fold in pecans and pineapple and transfer to an 8-inch baking dish.

Bake casserole for 20 minutes, then cover with marshmallows and bake until marshmallows are golden, about 5 minutes more.

Makes 4 servings
Source: Saveur Cooks Authentic American by Colman Andrews and Dorothy Kalins