Why the Marshmallows?

I grew up on “Candied Yams” as a fixture on the Thanksgiving Table. Mom would open a couple of cans, dump everything into a casserole dish and smother the “yams” in marshmallows. Her basic recipe evolved to include brown sugar, butter and spices. As a kid I loved these over the top sweet “yams”. Truth be told, I was after the butter and gooey toasted marshmallows. I’m a big girl now, seeking Kahlúa Goodness instead. Still, I fondly look back on those holidays of yesteryear.

Have you ever asked yourself why the marshmallows? What possessed someone to take something that is naturally sweet and make it even sweeter – dangerously sweeter. And just how did this toasty marshmallow idea spread far and wide? Would you believe this Thanksgiving Classic is the direct result of an advertising scheme launched in the early 1900s. This obviously successful ad campaign was directed to the American Housewife during a time when canned goods were changing the Thanksgiving Feast. The life of home cooks was revolutionized with the introduction of canned pumpkin purée and canned cranberry sauce. The first recipe for a sweet potato casserole involving marshmallows dates back to 1917 and called for the potatoes to be mashed. Janet McKenzie Hill, founder of the Boston Cooking School Magazine, was hired by the marshmallow lobby to develop recipes for a booklet desired to encourage women to embrace the candy as an everyday cooking ingredient. While most of the recipes have faded away, the concept of sweet potato casseroles (mashed or cut) topped with toasty marshmallows remains a Thanksgiving icon to this very day.

Candied Canned Pineapple “Yams”
2 (29 oz) can Sweet Potatoes, drained
2 (8 oz) can Crushed Pineapple, drained
½ cup butter, cut into small pieces
1 cup brown sugar
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
½ teaspoon ground nutmeg
1 (10 oz) bag miniature marshmallows, or as needed

Heat oven to 400 degrees. Lightly butter bottom and sides of a casserole dish. Set aside.

Drain juice from sweet potatoes into a medium bowl. Place sweet potatoes into the prepared casserole dish.

Drain juice from pineapple into the bowl with the sweet potato juice. Sprinkle crushed pineapples over the sweet potatoes.

Cut butter into small pieces and sprinkle over the sweet potato mixture.

Dissolve the brown sugar into the reserve juices. Whisk in the spices. Pour juices over the sweet potato mixture.

Layer casserole with miniature marshmallows. Depending upon the size of your dish, more marshmallows may be needed. You want to cover the sweet potatoes completely.

Bake casserole in the heated oven for 25 minutes, or until sweet potatoes are tender and the marshmallow layer has melted, puffed up and are golden-toasted.

Remove from oven. Let cool slightly before serving.