A long lost sweet potato recipe

For 3 years, I lived with 4 other girls that all didn't particularly like sweet potatoes. How they all could have been raised to dislike this yummy, tantalizing potato is beyond me but it happened. But, all of them LOVED this recipe, which comes from the archives of Williams-Sonoma. It's no longer available on their website or any of their new cookbooks, not sure why. It should be. I'm not trying to toot my own horn but I am a pretty decent cook. Not everything I attempt is a hit but I do like trying! This recipe ranks among my top successes. I've brought it to Thanksgiving and other holiday potlucks for several years now and no one, even the most passionate sweet potato hater, has ever said they didn't like it. I mean come one, it's got almost 2 entire sticks of butter in it and a topping like apple crisp. Does it get any better than that? So consider this your lucky day. You've just found the best holiday side dish there is :)

Ingredients:

Pecan/Brown Sugar Topping:
• 1 cup flour
• ¾ cup firmly packed light brown sugar
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 8 tablespoons cold unsalted butter, cut into half inch cubes
• 1 cup toasted chopped pecans

Sweet Potatoes:
• 5 pounds sweet potatoes
• ¼ cup milk
• 2 teaspoons vanilla
• 6 Tablespoons unsalted butter melted
• 3 eggs• ½ cup maple syrup
• ¼ cup firmly packed light brown sugar
• 2 teaspoons kosher salt
• Pepper to taste
• Pinch of freshly grated nutmeg (optional)

Instructions:

• Preheat oven to 450 degrees.
• Place potatoes in a large roasting pan with a small amount of water, cover the pan tightly with aluminum foil, cook potatoes until tender, about an hour to an hour and a half. Transfer potatoes out of pan and let cool.
• Reduce oven to 350 degrees.
• Peel off potato skins when cool, cut the flesh into half-inch cubes.
• Transfer ¼ of potatoes to a large bowl and mash with a potato masher. Add the remaining potatoes and stir.
• In a separate bowl whisk together the milk, vanilla, butter, eggs, maple syrup, brown sugar, salt, pepper and nutmeg. Add mixture to the sweet potatoes.
  For the topping, prepare in a bowl — stir flour, brown sugar, salt, cinnamon, butter, then toasted pecans, the topping should hold together in your fingers but crumble easily.
• Transfer potato mixture to a large rectangular baking dish and sprinkle with topping.
• Bake around 45-60 minutes or until the top is crisp and brown.