Paula Deen Sweet Potato Balls

This recipe came directly from the FoodNetwork.com website, and they were highlighted as one of Paula's Thanksgiving 2009 foods in her Thanksgiving Special aired in 19 November 2009 on Food Network . The original airing of the "Thanksgiving Special" was 10 November 2005...just in case you want to look back in the archives! Some say the recipe is too sweet. So, you may want to test-drive the recipe for your own sweetness. These suggestions you might make as I did: I let the sweet potatoes fully cool before mashing, I omitted the orange zest and put just a small amount of orange juice (not a huge orange taste fan), and cut back the brown sugar to 1/3 of a cup. One reviewer said that she only used 1/2 of a large marshmallow after she had them oozing out with a full marshmallow. However, Paula Deen states that if you overcook your Sweet Potato Balls then the marshmallow will burst out of the ball. So be careful not to over-bake them if you choose a whole marshmallow. I chose to roll the balls in chopped pecans and then placed each ball in a cup of a nonstick muffin tin (the recipe made exactly 12 large balls--enough to fill a full tin). I also made some with the coconut mixture. Another option would be to roll them in oats, sugar, & cinnamon OR coconut & pecans. I put the filled muffin tin in the refrigerator overnight and baked the next day after removing my turkey from the oven. They came out perfectly!

• Ready In: 1 hr 50 mins
• Serves: 4-6
• Yields: 8 balls

Ingredients

• 4  large sweet potatoes
• 2⁄3 cup  packed brown sugar
• 2  tablespoons  orange juice
• 1  teaspoon orange zest
• 1⁄2 teaspoon  freshly grated nutmeg
• 2  cups  shredded coconut, sweetened
• 1⁄2 cup granulated sugar
• 1  teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 1  large marshmallows, per potato ball

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
2. Bake the potatoes until tender, then peel and mash them. Stir in the brown sugar, orange juice, zest and nutmeg. In a separate bowl, toss the coconut with the sugar and cinnamon. Press mashed potatoes around each marshmallow, creating a 2 to 3-inch diameter ball. Roll the balls in the coconut mixture. Bake for 15 to 20 minutes. Watch carefully for the last few minutes of cooking; the expanding marshmallows can cause the potato balls to burst open.