Sweet Potatoes:
4 cups peeled, cubed sweet potatoes
2 large eggs, beaten
½ cup white sugar
½ cup milk
4 tablespoons butter, softened
½ teaspoon vanilla extract
½ teaspoon salt
Pecan Topping: I suggest strongly tripling the topping
½ cup packed brown sugar
⅓ cup all-purpose flour
3 tablespoons butter, softened
½ cup chopped pecans
Preheat oven to 325 degrees F (165 degrees C).
Prepare sweet potatoes: Put sweet potatoes in a medium saucepan and cover with water. Cook over medium-high heat until tender, 10 to 15 minutes. Drain and transfer to a large bowl. Or use a large can of yams, smash.
Mash drained sweet potatoes with a fork. Add eggs; mix until well combined. Add sugar, milk, butter, vanilla, and salt; mix until smooth. Transfer to a 9x13-inch baking dish.
Make topping: Mix brown sugar and flour together in a medium bowl. Cut in butter with a pastry cutter until mixture is coarse and looks like peas; don't overmix. Stir in pecans. Sprinkle topping over sweet potato mixture.
Bake in the preheated oven until topping is lightly browned, about 30 minutes.
