Sweet Potatoes and Apples with Brown Sugar Pecan Toppings

It is Thanksgiving Week and I have many recipes to share with you.  I love Thanksgiving, don’t you?  It is probably my favorite holiday.  I love hanging with my family and this year Max, my new Yorki Poo.  Later in the day we go to see a movie together as a family.  When I was little we would go to Los Angeles for a musical.  I remember seeing Annie at the Pantages when I was younger.

We still gather as a family and everyone brings a dish.  This year I am bringing dessert.  I am thinking about this. But I love to cook all the fun sides, so I decided that I would make my own  at home so I could share them with you.

This is my take on Ina Garten’s Sweet Potatoes and Sauteed Apples.  I decided to add a ring of crunch brown sugar pecans around the side to give a little crunch to the dish.

What is your favorite side dish?  Share below!

Sweet Potatoes and Apples with Brown Sugar Pecan Topping

4 pounds sweet potatoes
1/2 cup orange juice
1/2 cup heavy cream
3 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted
1/4 cup light brown sugar
1 teaspoon ground nutmeg
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1 teaspoon kosher salt
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

3 apples, peeled and sliced
2 tablespoons unsalted butter
2 tablespoons dark brown sugar

1/3 cup brown sugar
2 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted
1/2 cup pecans, chopped

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees.

Prick the sweet potatoes with a fork several times and bake them for 1 hour.  Remove from the oven and let cool.  Scoop out the insides and place into a bowl of an electric mixer.  Add the orange juice, cream, butter, brown sugar, nutmeg, cinnamon, salt and pepper.

Place in a baking dish and top with sauteed apples and place pecan mixture around the sides.