Yams Ree-shard'
Our Thanksgiving standby since the 70s.
Servings 12 Thanksgiving feasters, if you're lucky.
Equipment
- Favorite 8 or 9-inch family casserole dish
- Potato masher
- spatula
Ingredients
- 3 lb yams Preferred are fresh yams, peeled or not, 1/2" diced, and boiled in water to cover for 15 minutes. Then drained and mashed. Over-achievers get extra credit if you roast, cool, peel, and then mash the yams. But full disclosure, canned yams are just about as good.
- ¼ tsp nutmeg Grating fresh nutmeg on your microplane is always preferable to using already-ground.
- ¼ tsp ground cinnamon
- salt and pepper to taste
- 4 oz salted butter (1/2 stick), melted Or, unsalted, then add some salt.
- ½ cup heavy whipping cream or half-and-half to your taste
- ⅓ cup raisins
- ⅓ cup chopped pecans
- 16-20 each large marshmallows Adjust number so that your casserole is just covered. Too many is overkill; too few is just too bad.
Instructions
- Prepare fresh yams if using or open the can.
- In a large bowl, use potato masher and spoon or spatula to combine yams, nutmeg, salt and pepper, cinnamon, melted butter, cream.
- Mix in raisins and pecans.
- Add mixture to casserole dish, spread evenly. (You can set this aside now several hours or more in the fridge before baking in the final run-up to dinner.)
- Just before baking, add marshmallows. Have them touching, but not jammed in.
- Bake at 350° for 35 minutes and remove from oven. They'll stay plenty warm for half an hour or more.
- Serve and enjoy!
Notes
This is a great and easy recipe that can be handed off to a child or wannabe cook to prepare. They and you will be proud that you did.
Be careful and watch your proportions. This year I used a 40 oz can instead of a full 3 lbs. of yams but still used 1/2 cup of cream (as the recipe says). I got yam soup, just about. Other times, I've used up to 4 lbs. of fresh yams, roasted, and amped up the spices, etc. a bit. Everything turned out fine.