November 25, 2009 | Side Dishes, Vegetables

I think I’ve share my sage advice (get the pun? sage for Thanksgiving?) that you should cook as much as you can for Thanksgiving on Tuesday so that you can relax on Wednesday, then all you have to do on Thanksgiving is to roast the bird, heat up the sides, and set the table. Well, I think I overdid it yesterday.

And this kitchen sink – which by the way was just round one out of about eight rounds of cookware to clean – is a testament to what my day was like. Not only did I cook for my Thanksgiving, I also hosted a cooking class to help the participants prepare their side dishes and I cooked another set of sides and desserts for a client I’ve just begun cooking for. I was in the kitchen from 8 am until 8 pm when my husband took me out to dinner.

One of the things I made was an afterthought. I was making my sweet potato gratin (which I promise to post after Thanksgiving because it’s equally good any time of year), and after I layered the potatoes in the gratin dish I still had a fair amount left. I’m not usually a fan of sweet potato casseroles, but I think that’s because the marshmallows on top of so many seem completely over the top sweet. After looking at about 100 recipes for them on foodgawker I made up my own version based on what I had on hand. The recipe is simple – just puree the sweet potatoes with the other ingredients…

…then make the pecan topping. Chop up pecans, then mix them with a little flour and the sweetener of your choice (see recipe).

I’m using this maple butter because I found it in my pantry from some gift basket. I’m baking my casserole tomorrow so my topping isn’t on yet but I’ll try to remember to post a photo fo the finished dish. If you’re still struggling with sides for tomorrow’s feast, this one’s fast, easy and tasty!

Sweet Potato Casserole
Serves 6-8

1 1/2 pounds sweet potatoes, peeled and cooked
1/3 cup butter
1/3 cup brown sugar
1/3 cup cream
1 egg
salt, to taste
1 1/2 cups chopped pecans
1/2 cup maple butter (or maple syrup or brown sugar)
1/4 cup flour

Mash cooked potatoes together with butter, brown sugar, cream and egg. Puree to the consistency desired, then salt to taste. Pour into a casserole dish. Mix together pecans, maple butter and flour and sprinkle over the top. Bake until heated through and pecans are slightly toasted, about 20-30 minutes.