Sweet Potato Casserole

This is a staple at my Thanksgiving table.  It's a delicious sweet potato casserole topped with a butter streusel topping.  This year, I had to travel several hours before serving, so I made my casserole in a slow cooker insert the day before, refrigerated, and then heated in the slow cooker on high for about and hour and a half and it came out great (even if my pictures didn't)!  Don't worry about buying maple sugar if you don't have any, you can easily substitute with brown sugar.

Sweet Potato Casserole

Ingredients

Streusel Topping

• 1/2 cup all-purpose flour
• 1/4 cup butter
• 1/2 cup pecans, chopped
• 1/4 cup sugar
• 1/4 cup maple sugar
• 1/4 cup dried cranberries

• Casserole

• 2 lbs. sweet potatoes
• 1/4 cup melted butter
• 1 cup half and half
• 2 eggs, beaten
• 1 mandarin or clementine, juiced and zested
• 1/3 cup maple syrup
• salt, to taste

Serves 6 - 8, with leftovers
Cook time: 45 minutes

Cut butter into flour and combine with other ingredients.

Bake potatoes till soft; peel and mash.  Combine remaining ingredients, top with streusel topping, and bake at 350 for 45 minutes.