Maple Pecan Sweet Potatoes

4 cups Sweet Potatoes (~3 large)
Oil
Foil
1/4 cup maple syrup
1/3 cup cream
1 teaspoon vanilla
1/4 teaspoon salt
3/4 teaspoon cinnamon
1/4  teaspoon nutmeg
1/2  cup brown sugar, loose, not packed
Sugared Pecans

Preheat oven to 400.

Wash Sweet Potatoes thoroughly.  Poke holes in sweet potato using a knife or fork.  Lightly oil the outside of the sweet potato.  Wrap Sweet potato loosely in foil.  

Bake for 45 minutes.  If knife inserted sweet potato goes through smoothly turn off oven and let sweet potato sit on rack.  Leave in oven for about 10-15 minutes.  Open it up using oven mitts and split it lengthwise with a knife.  Scoop out insides and put in a bowl.  

With hand held mixer, beat sweet potatoes, maple syrup, cream, vanilla, salt, cinnamon, nutmeg, and brown sugar until smooth and fluffy (about 3-4 minutes).

Taste for flavor, add more cinnamon, salt, etc.

Pour into baking dish.

Top with sugared pecans.

Note: If you want to turn it into a pie try adding 2 eggs and 1/2 cup softened butter to the instructions with the hand held mixer part. Then pour filling into a pie crust and bake for 1 hour at 350. Cover crust with foil rim and take off last 25 minutes of cooking. Top with sugared pecans.