Emily Farris Goes Casserole Crazy for Sweet Potatoes

Missouri native and part-time New Yorker Emily Farris grew up eating casseroles, but it wasn’t until she saw her mother’s green bean casserole was actually taken from the Durkee Fried Onions can—gasp!—that she busted out the vintage Pyrex, and got to work crafting her own, unique casserole recipes. She gave her childhood favorites a bit of a makeover by substituting fresh ingredients for canned, or adding a little more spice and a lot more zip. Many trials and a whole lot of cheese later, the best results wound up in her book “Casserole Crazy: Hot Stuff for Your Oven.”

Casseroles are all about sharing, and Emily wants converts. Every year, she hosts casserole cook-offs in both Brooklyn and Kansas City to keep casserole cooking alive. She stopped by see|food media’s studio kitchen to show us how to make one of her favorites, Sweet Potato Not Pie. It’s a savory homage to her dad’s candied yams dish, but with less can-opening and more goat cheese. Right in time for Thanksgiving, the recipe is easy as pie, but not pie!

Get the Sweet Potato Not Pie recipe here:

See photos from Emily’s 6th Annual Brooklyn Casserole Party here: