Sweet Potato Casserole before being baked

I know what you are thinking, Gabbie are you seriously posting a recipe adapted from a Ruth’s Chris side? Yes, yes, I am. I am posting my slimmed down version of my husband’s favorite side from a steakhouse he grew up eating at in New Orleans.

I never ate at a Ruth’s Chris until Tim brought me to one in Denver while we were in college. It was Valentine’s Day weekend and I was dressed to the nines, the table sitting next to us was in sweatpants. It was not my ideal restaurant experience… It never feels good to show up as a young couple for a fancy night out only to recognize that no one else is taking it as seriously as you; it was a hospitality lesson that has stayed with me!

My husband grew up in New Orleans and Ruth’s Chris was on their roster of steakhouses that included Charlie’s Steakhouse, and Crescent City Steakhouse. I grew up in the oldest Chicago steakhouse family, and I rarely ate steak out at other restaurants. The whole thing became fascinating to me. While I was never able to eat at the original—or the second original—Ruth’s Chris, I have eaten at the one in Metairie many times and I do love to order this decadent dish. Decadent it is! You will find that I have slimmed down this recipe considerably, reducing butter and sugar and adding about one cup more sweet potato. I actually prefer it this way, the flavor is not compromised at all and it feels more like a side and less like dessert!

NOLA-Style Sweet Potato Casserole

adapted from Ruth’s Chris recipe published in the Times-Picayune Newspaper

Pecan Topping

2/3 cup brown sugar
1/3 cup flour
1 cup chopped pecans
1/3 stick butter, melted

Mix together these ingredients and set aside. I spread the topping until it created a nice layer of sugar and nuts, no more than a half centimeter on top of the sweet potato base. I had about 1/3 cup leftover based on the size baking dish I used.

Sweet Potato Base

3 large sweet potatoes, baked until tender, cooled, and skin removed
1/3 cup sugar
½ teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon vanilla
2 eggs, well beaten
5 tablespoons butter, melted

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Combine sweet potatoes, sugar, salt, vanilla, eggs and butter in a food processor (or blender) and blend until smooth, adding a few tablespoons of hot water as needed. The original recipe doesn’t call for blending until smooth, so feel free to stop at a consistency you like. I think a smoother texture is more elegant for this side dish that borders on dessert! You are also welcome to mash the sweet potato and mix by hand.

Pour mixture into buttered baking dish. Sprinkle the surface of the sweet potato base evenly with the pecan topping. Bake for 30 minutes. Allow to set at least 30 minutes before serving.

NOLA-Style Sweet Potato Casserole Recipe