Sweet Potato Casserole

For more than ten years, we were a guest at a Thanksgiving dinner someone else hosted. We would ask, What can we bring? After a brief discussion of the alternatives, the invariable choice was the following casserole.

Most years since moving to Carol Place, we have been the hosts, cooking the turkey and negotiating with others about the side dishes. The result has been unforgettable dinners and occasions, but we must confess to missing sweet potatoes prepared in this fashion. Maybe we should offer to do the sweet potatoes and let one of the guests volunteer for the turkey.

1. Preheat the oven to 375^o.
   
   
2. Mix together the sweet potatoes, half the butter, two-thirds the brown sugar, the rum, and the salt. Drain one can of the oranges, cut them in half, and stir them into the potato mix. Ladle the mix into a lightly greased casserole (roughly 2 inches deep).
   
   
3. Drain the second can of orange slices, and arrange them decoratively across the potato mix.
   
   
4. Combine the remaining butter, sugar, and the pecans. Sprinkle the mixture over the potatoes. Bake for 30 minutes.

8 servings   

Source: Craig Claiborne, The New York Times Cookbook