Sweet Potato (Yams) Casserole Recipe

I have been looking at recipes for sweet potatoes or yams for years but none really worked for me. At my house, we only slice and fry them in butter or shortening, sometimes with brown sugar. Most recipes add spices, such as nutmeg, making it more of a dessert food. I want a main course side dish, not dessert, and was disappointed time after time.

In my location, we pretty much use sweet potatoes and yams interchangeably. Most supermarkets here don't even sell sweet potatoes. Based on personal experience, I prefer yams because they are actually slightly sweeter than yams -- go figure.

This past Thanksgiving (2010) I made loaded smashed potatoes (white) with cheddar cheese, onions, garlic, and bacon. I also had the plain old fried yams and decided to try some with the smashed potatoes with a few pieces of yams and they tasted great together. This led me to the idea of making yams with the same ingredients with a few tweaks.

The yam recipe I came up with is completely my own idea but there probably are similar recipes online somewhere. I decided to turn it into a baked casserole.

I had an epiphany and came up with the idea of using Campbell's Condensed Cheddar Cheese Soup to add a creamy texture that will permeate throughout the mashed yams. For a condensed soup, it's not as salty as you might think, so don't worry about it being too salty. I prepared it with a can of milk as directed but it made the casserole a bit watery, so I suggest using half a can of milk unless the yams you are using are larger.

I added smoked bacon for a nice smoky flavor that goes well with yams. Try good thick-cut bacon for best results.

I used shredded cheddar cheese because it just seems to blend well with bacon and yams. I'm not a fan of Velveeta cheese but that would work as well. Or get adventurous and try Monterey Jack or Pepper Jack cheese for an extra kick of heat.

I didn't add nutmeg to the casserole but tried some on one of my servings. It tasted good but I still prefer it without nutmeg -- it's up to you.

Sweet Potato (Yams) Casserole Recipe

Ingredients
3 large sweet potatoes or yams
1 can cheddar cheese soup
1 can of milk (soup can)
4 ounces bacon, crumbled
1 medium onion, diced
3 cloves garlic, chopped
1/2 cup shredded cheddar cheese
1/2 cup bread crumbs
2 teaspoons salt
1 teaspoon nutmeg (optional)

Directions

1. Peel yams and boil until tender and mash thoroughly until smooth.

2. Fry bacon in a skillet until brown and crispy. Remove from pan and crumble.

3. Sautee the onions and garlic in the bacon dripping until tender and translucent.

4. Prepare the cheddar cheese soup with a can of milk and blend together.

5. Mix the mashed yams with the bacon, garlic, onions, cheddar cheese soup, salt, and nutmeg (optional) until thoroughly combined and pour into a casserole dish.

6. Sprinkle everything with shredded cheddar cheese and bread crumbs.

7. Bake the casserole in an oven pre-heated at 400 degrees for about 10-15 minutes until the cheese is melted and the breadcrumbs are nice and golden brown.