Sweet Potato Marshmallow Gratin

Stephanie Whisnant's sweet potato casserole is the star of her family's Thanksgiving dinner in Williamsburg, Virginia-and the 22-year-old's favorite part of the dish is the marshmallows between each layer. To keep the sweet treats, Nearn eliminated the half stick of butter and much of the brown sugar in Whisnant's recipe. Those changes alone trim 36 calories and 4 grams of fat per serving. But that's not all: "You can actually taste the marshmallows better now since they're not competing with as many other rich ingredients," says Nearn.

Ingredients

¼ teaspoon cinnamon
¼ teaspoon nutmeg
1 tablespoon vanilla extract
½ cup orange juice
5 sweet potatoes, peeled and cut into 1/8-inch-thick slices
2 russet potatoes, peeled and cut into 1/8-inch-thick slices (store in water until ready to use)
Cooking spray
1 ½ cups mini-marshmallows, divided
1 tablespoon brown sugar

Directions

Preheat oven to 350°F. Mix cinnamon, nutmeg, vanilla extract, and orange juice in a small bowl. In a large bowl, combine potatoes. Pour orange juice mixture over the potatoes; toss to coat well.

Spritz an 8" x 8" baking dish with cooking spray. Place potatoes, a handful at a time, in the dish and spread them so that the orange and white slices are evenly distributed. Sprinkle 10 to 12 mini-marshmallows on top of this layer. Repeat process, creating five layers, until you almost reach the top of the baking dish.

Cover dish with aluminum foil and seal tightly to hold in moisture; bake for 1 hour. Top with remaining marshmallows and brown sugar. Re-cover with foil and bake 30 more minutes. Let stand at least 15 minutes, then serve.