Our Thanksgiving and Christmas dinners taste almost exactly the same; we just swap out the platter of turkey for honey-baked ham (much to Grandma’s dismay, who is the only person every year to eat more than two “ceremonial” bites of the bird). We make homemade rolls, mashed potatoes, cranberry salad, pecan pie, and, of course… Sweet potatoes.
Three or four years ago, Mom clipped a different sweet potato recipe out of my favorite magazine, and although I usually avoid breaking traditions, I cautiously agreed to help cook the new dish for our Thanksgiving feast. At the dinner table, I scooped less than a tablespoon out of the serving dish and onto my plate. After the first bite, I literally hopped out of my chair, ran around the table like a game of duck-duck-goose, and grabbed the bowl to devour the rest. I nearly gave up pumpkin pie that night, just for a fourth serving of the sweet potatoes!
During the five weeks between the holidays, my craving for Mom’s mashed sweet potatoes often careens out of control. To get my fix a few days ago, I simplified the list of ingredients and downsized the recipe into a single serving portion. But I could never give up those mini marshmallows on top—they’re the most important part!
Because of the maple syrup in the dish, I’ve actually eaten this for breakfast!
- Preheat the oven to 350°, and lightly coat a small ramekin with nonstick cooking spray.
- Pierce the sweet potato 10-15 times with a fork. Microwave for 6 min, turning the potato over halfway through. Let it rest for 2-3 min, or until cool enough to handle.
- While the potato rests, whisk together the milk and next 6 ingredients (through cloves) in a small bowl. Warm in the microwave for 10 sec.
- Slice open the sweet potato, and scoop out the insides into a small bowl. Mash with a fork. Stir in the milk mixture. Spoon the potato mixture into the prepared ramekin, and bake at 350° for 10 min. Take the ramekin out of the oven, top with the marshmallows, and bake for another 3-5 min or until the marshmallows turn golden brown. Cool for 5 min before serving.
Sweet potato casserole is a staple at our family feast, too. We’re big fans of throwing some pecans on top of ours to keep the marshmallows company.
My mom usually add pecans too! I just didn’t have any at my house when I went to make this single-serving dish…
you had me at marshmallows! 🙂
They’re addicting, aren’t they? I ate at least double the amount I used in the recipe while I was waiting for the sweet potatoes to come out of the oven!
Those puffs of marshmallow look perfect!! YUM!
Thank you! After how they turned out, I wanted to figure out a way to make s’mores indoors so I could eat more marshmallows…
LOVE this in a single-serving size… so cute! I wish I could eat sweet potatoes every day- love them.
Thanks! Me too, they’re almost like a dessert vegetable. A friend of mine suggesting adding cinnamon and cream cheese, but I haven’t gotten around to trying that just yet!