Vegetables? Dessert? I Don't Care Which, Because It's Delish... Yam & Banana Casserole

Banana and Yam Casserole... warm & golden & perfection

Miss A and I actually made this for the first time the week before Thanksgiving, but it's a delicious vegetable/dessert for any time or any holiday.  On a chilly Saturday, I woke up and didn't hear Miss A stirring--so I turned on my TV and went straight to The Food Network and discovered some new recipes to try.  I was watching a show I'd never seen before (it turned out to be "Mexican Made Easy" with Marcela Valladolid) and this recipe was on.  I'm not quite sure how this is Mexican, but I didn't care and I knew Miss A wouldn't either.  As I was squealing my way into her room, bursting with excitement, I had already started planning how we were going to make it that day!  We both got way too excited when we found this recipe online, so I think it's a must-share.  

Plus, we had sweet potatoes last night (from Boston Market, not my favorite) and my Grandma LOVED them; she must have said it 4 times over the course of dinner how delicious they were.  Ding ding ding... that way my cue to make MY sweet potato and banana casserole to get EXTRA brownie points with Helen!  And even if I don't, I can show her FAFK and attempt to explain what a blog is; I have a feeling that she wouldn't understand it anyway.

YAM and BANANA CASSEROLE

INGREDIENTS:
2 tablespoons unsalted butter, for greasing the baking dish
1 1/2 pounds yams, peeled and cut lengthwise into 1-inch thick slices*
5 ounces (about 32) sweetened round crackers (recommended: Maria Crackers),** or graham crackers
3/4 cup whole almonds, coarsely chopped
1 tsp ground cinnamon
1/2 tsp salt
6 tbsp (3/4 stick) chilled unsalted butter, diced
4 large ripe (but firm) bananas, peeled and halved lengthwise
1 (10.5-ounce) bag of mini marshmallows
*I used sweet potatoes.
**I settled for the graham crackers because I couldn't find the Maria crackers at our local Teeter, but I bet if you checked out The Fresh Market, Trader Joe's, or World Market they'd probably have them.


PREPARATION:
Preheat the oven to 400 degrees. Coat the bottom of a 13"x9"x2" glass baking dish with 2 tablespoons butter.  Set the dish aside for later.

If you're using fresh yams (I used sweet potatoes): add the yams to a heavy medium pot and cover with cold water.  Bring the water to a boil over high heat.  Then reduce the heat and simmer until tender, about 10 minutes (the color of the yams will turn brighter).  FYI: When I made it in November, it took the sweet potatoes A LOT longer than 10 minutes (more like 18 minutes) for them to be tender, probably because they were on the big side.  You can check to see if they're done by using a fork to test them (if the fork goes in fairly easily, they're done).

After 1 layer of  bananas, yams, streusel, and marshmallows, then repeat. 

While the yams are simmering, put the crackers, almonds, cinnamon, and salt in a food processor and pulse a few times to combine until coarse but not fully ground.  Add 6 tablespoons butter and pulse until the mixture forms lumps slightly larger than peas.  Another FYI: I don't have a food processor and thought I could use a blender and it'd be just fine--WRONG.  It wasn't terrible, but was definitely a fail.  The almonds kept jamming the blade and the butter retained most of its shape and never mixed well.  I ended up using a spoon like a mortar and pestle to crush/blend/mix the streusel.  ANYWHO... Refrigerate the streusel topping until you're ready to use it.

My attempt at the streusel

Spread half of the bananas and yams in 1 layer in the bottom of the prepared dish. Sprinkle with half of the streusel and half of the marshmallows. Repeat to make 1 more layer. Bake until the marshmallows are golden, about 25 minutes and SERVE WARM!

Starting layer 2...

This was utterly delicious and certainly sweet--a great dish to make if you have a sweet tooth craving, but be wary if you don't.  Look at those golden brown marshmallows... mmmmmmmmmmmmm. 

The finished deliciousness

Happy Christmas Eve from Florida!