I had the distinct pleasure of a decade long career at Ruth’s Chris Steak House as Sales and Marketing Director. It is a company that I know and love well. Almost as much as the guests LOVE the Sweet Potato Casserole. Seriously, this side dish flew out the door. Especially around the holiday season. Something about a sweet potato topped with a pecan crust that evokes all feelings of Fall and Winter.
Ruth Fertel, the founder of Ruth’s Chris, created many of the restaurant’s recipes that are still on the menu today. The sweet potato casserole was one of those dishes. I wonder if this casserole was a staple on her holiday table at home? Although, knowing Ruth, she probably spent most holidays in her restaurant on Broad Street in New Orleans. After all, she lived right behind the restaurant!
This casserole recipe is perfect for your holiday table, too. And any other time of year too, since sweet potatoes are always available. One of the great things about it, is the simplicity and how few ingredients really go into it. I find that some of the best recipes turn out to be the simplest. And it can be prepared a day or two day before, for easier holiday entertaining.
If you decide to prepare the casserole ahead of time, I recommend topping the sweet potato mixture with the pecan crust right before it gets baked in the oven. You can prepare the pecan and brown sugar crust the day before, however, just place it in an airtight container until baking. The crust is meant to be crunchy. If you top the casserole with the pecan mixture and refrigerate overnight, you run the risk of the crust being too moist and giving up it’s crunchy goodness.
Ingredients
- 4 medium sweet potatoes
- 1 stick unsalted butter, divided and softened
- ¾ cup sugar
- 1 egg, beaten
- ¾ cups chopped pecans
- ¼ cup brown sugar
- ¼ cup flour
- ¼ tsp. Kosher salt
- ¼ tsp. vanilla extract
Instructions
Bake the sweet potatoes in a 350-degree oven for 45 minutes. Make sure to cool them completely, preferable in the refrigerator for a minimum of 4 hours. This is important, because a raw, beaten egg will be added to the sweet potatoes. If the potatoes are hot or warm, at all, the egg runs the risk of scrambling in the potato mixture, and you will have to discard and start over.
After the potatoes are baked and cooled, remove and discard the skins and place into a stand mixer. Add the sugar, salt, vanilla, ½ stick of the butter and the beaten egg. Mix on a medium-low speed until thoroughly mixed.
In a food processor, pulse the pecans to chop them further but do not them get to the texture of a powder. You just want them to be slightly smaller than the packaged version. Transfer pecans to a mixing bowl and add the brown sugar, flour and the other ½ of the butter, melted. Mix well to ensure all pecans and brown sugar are coated with the melted butter.
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Transfer the sweet potato mixture to a 9” non-stick casserole dish and smooth out. Top the casserole dish, completely, with the pecan crumb. Place on the center rack of the oven and bake for 30 minutes. The potatoes do not need to rest before serving.
Serve with Ruth’s Chris Steak House’s Stuffed Chicken and Ruth’s Chris Steak House’s Chop Salad and Enjoy!
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2 comments
I would like to re-create a peach-creamy cheese pie with a nut crust that I use to get all the time at my home town of North Bend Oregon at a restaurant called the Pancake Mill. I think I could figure out the pie filling but I have never found a recipe for a oatmeal-nut crust…. how would you make that. It was so good the soft cheese custard with peaches cooked peaches in a wonderful sauce filled the crunchy nutty crust. I wish they would share it but it a very small family owned business so probably not. They were famous for their pies. I included the website and it looks like they don’t even have peach a topping for this pie anymore so sad.
Excellent