Sweet-Potato-And-Apple Casserole

Sweet potato and apple casserole skips the oven entirely and lets the microwave do the work in about 17 minutes of cook time. The trick is sequencing: sweet potatoes take a head start because they’re denser, then chunks of Golden Delicious apples join with brown sugar, butter, cinnamon, and nutmeg for the second cook so the apples soften without falling apart.

A quick cornstarch slurry stirred in at the end takes the syrupy juices that pool in the bottom of the dish and pulls them up into a glossy, spoonable glaze that coats every cube. Stir gently with a rubber spatula at the halfway point so the apples and potatoes mix without turning to mash.

Pro Tips

• Cut everything into evenly-sized 1-inch cubes. Mismatched sizes cook unevenly and you’ll end up with mushy small pieces and crunchy big ones.
• Use a firm-fleshed apple like Golden Delicious or Honeycrisp. Soft apples like McIntosh collapse into sauce in the microwave.
• Stir gently. Aggressive mixing breaks the sweet potato cubes down and turns the dish into puree.
• Let the casserole rest 5 minutes after the final cook. The cornstarch glaze tightens further as it sits.

Variations

• Stir in a half cup of toasted pecans or walnuts at the end for crunch.
• Add a tablespoon of bourbon or maple syrup to the brown sugar mixture for a deeper, more complex sweetness.
• Top with mini marshmallows after the final cook and broil for 2 minutes for the classic Thanksgiving finish.