Pretzel-Topped Sweet Potatoes

Thanksgiving. Ten people. The biggest table we've ever had. Craig, Connie, Travis, Jolene, Earl Thomas, Clay, Sarah, Amber, James, Nadia. Two high chairs now — Nadia and Earl Thomas both graduated to booster seats, actually, which means two booster seats and no high chairs and the graduation happened without ceremony because children grow whether you mark it or not.

The dressing was right. Fourth year. I have stopped counting because counting implies it might not be right, and it will always be right now because my hands know, the way Betty's hands knew, and knowing is permanent, knowing is the thing that doesn't go back to not knowing. The turkey was golden. The bourbon pecan pie with smoked salt. Sarah's honey-jalapeno cornbread — five pieces this year, I'm not even pretending to resist anymore. James brought suya. Jolene brought her mac and cheese. Connie's mashed potatoes. The table was full. The table was everything.

Called Betty for the blessing. Her voice — I can't describe it. Small. Not thin anymore. Small. The voice of a woman whose body is shrinking around the spirit that refuses to shrink, and the prayer was the same and the words were the same but the voice was a size too small for the words, and I said amen and my amen was loud enough for both of us because Betty needs backup now even if she won't admit it. Lord, thank you for this family and this food and the strength to get through another year. Amen. Amen. Amen.

That table had everything on it — James’s suya, Jolene’s mac and cheese, Connie’s mashed potatoes — and what I’ve learned is that a full table is a layered thing, sweet against savory, soft against crunch, each dish doing something the others can’t. These pretzel-topped sweet potatoes have been doing that work for us for a few years now: the sweetness of the potato, the salt of the pretzel, that contrast that makes you take a second bite before you’ve finished the first. Betty always said the best dishes on a Thanksgiving table hold opposites together. I think she was talking about more than food.

Prep Time: 20 minutes | Cook Time: 45 minutes | Total Time: 1 hour 5 minutes | Servings: 10

Ingredients

3 lbs sweet potatoes, peeled and cut into 1-inch chunks
1/4 cup unsalted butter, softened
1/3 cup packed light brown sugar
1/2 cup whole milk or heavy cream
2 large eggs, beaten
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
1/2 teaspoon salt
For the pretzel topping:
1 1/2 cups coarsely crushed salted pretzels
3 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted
2 tablespoons packed brown sugar

Instructions

Preheat and prep. Preheat oven to 350°F. Lightly grease a 9x13-inch baking dish and set aside.
Cook the sweet potatoes. Place sweet potato chunks in a large pot and cover with cold water. Bring to a boil over high heat, then reduce to a steady simmer. Cook for 18–20 minutes, until fork-tender. Drain well.
Mash the filling. Return drained sweet potatoes to the warm pot. Add softened butter, brown sugar, milk, eggs, vanilla, cinnamon, nutmeg, and salt. Mash and stir until smooth and well combined. Taste and adjust sweetness if needed.
Transfer to baking dish. Spread the sweet potato mixture evenly into the prepared baking dish, smoothing the top with a spatula.
Make the pretzel topping. In a small bowl, combine crushed pretzels, melted butter, and brown sugar. Toss until the pretzels are evenly coated. Scatter the topping in an even layer over the sweet potato filling.
Bake. Bake uncovered for 25–30 minutes, until the pretzel topping is golden and the filling is set and heated through. If the topping begins to darken too quickly, tent loosely with foil for the last 10 minutes.
Rest and serve. Let the casserole rest for 5 minutes before serving. Best served warm directly from the baking dish.

Nutrition (per serving)

Pretzel-Topped Sweet Potatoes — The Table That Holds Everything