Gourmet Sweet Potatoes

"Once you taste this, you won't ever go back to the marshmallow-topped variety! I have peeled and cooked the sweet potatoes in the microwave, boiled, or baked them in the oven. They taste the same no matter how you cook them. So, use the technique that works best for you!"

5 sweet potatoes

1/4 teaspoon salt

1/4 cup butter

2 eggs

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon

1/4 cup white sugar

2 tablespoons heavy cream

Topping:

1/4 cup butter, softened

3 tablespoons all-purpose flour

3/4 cup packed light brown sugar

1/2 cup chopped pecans

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Lightly grease a 9x13 inch baking dish.Bake sweet potatoes 1 hour to 1 1/2 hours in the oven, or until they begin to soften. Cool slightly, peel, and mash.In a large bowl, mix the mashed sweet potatoes, salt, 1/4 cup butter, eggs, vanilla extract, cinnamon, sugar, and heavy cream. Transfer to the prepared baking dish. In a medium bowl, combine 1/4 cup butter, flour, brown sugar, and chopped pecans. Mix with a pastry blender or your fingers to the consistency of course meal. Sprinkle over the sweet potato mixture. Bake 30 minutes in the preheated oven, until topping is crisp and lightly browned.

**For gluten free just omit the flour in the topping and it works just great!