Sweet Potato Casserole

Sweet potato casserole with a streusel topping.

Ingredients:

Filling
    7 pounds sweet potatoes (6-8 Medium sweet potatoes, or two ~2.5 pound cans)
    5 Tbl unsalted butter, melted (optional - less rich without)
    2 tsp salt
    1/2 tsp ground nutmeg, AND 1/2 tsp cinnamon
    1/4 tsp ground black pepper
    1 Tbl vanilla extract
    4 tsp juice from 1 lemon (or zest and juice from one whole lime)
    4 Lg egg yolks (or two whole eggs)
    1 1/2 cups half and half (or evaporated milk with 1/2 cup powdered milk)
    ~ 2 Tablespoons brown sugar (may use 0 to 4)

Streusel
    5 Tbl unsalted butter, cut into 5 pieces (use cold so will cut up better)
    1/2 cup all-purpose flour
    1/2 cup packed brown sugar
    1/4 tsp salt
    1 cup pecans (or walnuts)

Instructions:

1. As needed, roast sweet potatoes.
   * Adjust oven rack to lower-middle position and heat oven to 400°.
   * Poke sweet potatoes several times with paring knife and  space evenly on rimmed baking sheet lined with aluminum foil.
   * Bake potatoes, turning them once, until they are very  tender and can be squeezed easily with tongs, 1 to 1 1/2 hours (or 45 minutes for small sweet potatoes).]
   * Remove potatoes from oven and cut in half lengthwise to let steam escape; cool at least 10 minutes.
   * Reduce oven temperature to 375°. Once potatoes have cooled slightly, use spoon to scoop flesh into large bowl; you should have about 8 cups. Transfer half of potato flesh to food processor.
   * Using rubber spatula, break remaining potato flesh in bowl into coarse 1-inch chunks.
2. Prepare a 9x13 casserole dish with cooking spray. Pre-heat oven to 375°.
3.  For filling, add (melted butter), salt, nutmeg, pepper, vanilla, and lemon juice (or lime juice and zest) to potatoes in food processor and process until smooth, about 20 seconds. Taste for sweetness, then add up to 4 Tbl brown sugar, if necessary. Then add yolks or eggs.  With processor running, pour evaporated milk through feed tube and process until blended, about 20 seconds; transfer to bowl with potato pieces and stir gently until combined.
4. Pulse flour, brown sugar, and salt in food processor until blended,  about four 1 second pulses. Sprinkle butter pieces over flour mixture and pulse until crumbly mass forms, six to eight 1-second pulses. Sprinkle nuts over mixture and pulse until combined but some large nut pieces remain, four to six 1-second pulses.
   Sprinkle over filling once in prepared baking dish.
5. Pour filling into prepared baking dish and spread into even layer with spatula. Sprinkle with streusel. Bake until topping is well browned and filling is slightly puffy around edges, 30 to 45 minutes. Cool at least 10 minutes before serving.

Carole's Notes:

This is a less sweet casserole with some hints of other flavors. The recipe is lightly adapted from a Cook's Illustrated recipe.