Sweet Potato Pudding

I had this at a local BBQ restaurant, and I loved it, so I went on a search for a recipe. I found something similar, and I have tweaked it to make it mine. It's a great Thanksgiving dish. Prep time includes cooking the potatoes. UPDATED: changes made based on Bobby Flay's recipe.

• Ready In: 1 hr 10 mins
• Serves: 9

Ingredients

• Pudding

• 4  medium sweet potatoes
• 1⁄3 cup  evaporated skim milk or 1⁄3 cup half-and-half
• 1⁄2 cup light brown sugar or 1⁄2 cup dark brown sugar
• 4  eggs
• 2  teaspoons vanilla
• 1  tablespoon rum (optional)

• Topping

• 1⁄2 cup coconut, shredded
• 1⁄2 cup brown sugar
• 1⁄2 cup pecans, chopped
• 3  tablespoons butter, melted

Directions

1. Peel and cook the sweet potatoes until fork tender. I boil them, but you can also roast them in the skins and scoop out the flesh.
2. Preheat oven to 350.
3. In the mixer, combine eggs and sugar and beat until well mixed.
4. Add milk.
5. Add sweet potatoes and mix until all lumps are gone and the consistency is light and fluffy.
6. In a separate bowl, mix brown sugar, coconut, and pecans with 3T of melted butter.
7. Pour sweet potatoes in a greased 9x9 casserole and bake at 350 for 20 minutes.
8. Sprinkle the topping evenly over the pudding and bake for an additional 20 minutes.
9. Notes: Sometimes I have more pudding than will fit in a 9x9 pan, so I make a second, smaller batch.
10. I don't split up the baking - I put the topping on and bake for 30m.