GREENSBORO, N.C. — This year, Our State magazine is celebrating its 90th anniversary and to mark the milestone each month, Our State will feature retro recipes from the archives as we revisit flavors from pages past. For September, Chef Lynn Wells has adapted these recipes for current times: Candied Sweet Potatoes, Sweet Potato Biscuits with Herb Butter, and Sweet Potato and Apple Casserole.
You can find the recipe for Sweet Potato and Apple casserole right here. For this month's recipe we're going back to the end of World War II in 1945. By this time the United States allowed for ease of most food restrictions. Sugar was the only commodity still rationed at the time, which might explain why recipe author and High Point resident Mrs. J.D. Brame used sweet potatoes in this holiday dish.
Sweet Potato & Apple Casserole
Yield: 8 servings.
3 sweet potatoes, peeled and quartered ½ cup firmly packed light brown sugar 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon ½ teaspoon ground nutmeg 3 large Granny Smith apples, peeled, cored, and cut into 1-inch chunks ¼ cup all-purpose flour ¼ cup firmly packed dark brown sugar ¼ cup unsalted butter, melted ½ cup pecans, chopped ½ cup raisins
Place sweet potatoes in a large saucepan and cover with water. Boil for 20 to 25 minutes or until just tender. Drain, cool, and cut into ¼-inch pieces.
Preheat oven to 350°. Lightly grease a 9 x 12-inch baking dish.
In a small bowl, mix light brown sugar, cinnamon, and nutmeg.
Layer sweet potatoes, brown sugar mixture, and apples in baking dish.
In a separate bowl, mix flour, dark brown sugar, butter, pecans, and raisins. Sprinkle over top of sweet potatoes and apples.
Bake for 30 to 40 minutes or until top is lightly browned. Serve warm.