• Preheat oven to 350° F.

To cook the sweet potatoes

• Prick the sweet potatoes with a fork, wrap in foil, and bake until soft, about 1 ½ hours

For the sweet potato filling:

• In a food processor, combine peeled, cooked sweet potatoes, sugar, melted butter, milk, eggs, vanilla, and salt. Puree until very smooth, about 1 minute.
• Pour into a greased 2-quart casserole dish (mine was a 12 by 8-inch oval) and spread into an even layer.

For the streusel topping:

• In a separate bowl, stir together flour, brown sugar, cinnamon, and pecans (breaking up brown sugar clumps as needed).
• Pour in melted butter and stir until mixture is evenly moistened. Use a gentle hand and mix until everything is moistened and in clumps. Don’t overmix or it will become pasty.
• Sprinkle mixture evenly over sweet potato mixture in baking dish.
• Bake in the lower third of a 350° F oven for about 30 minutes. The topping should get golden brown. If it starts to get too brown, cover with a piece of foil. The inside temperature of the casserole should reach about 170° F.
• Serve warm.