Instructions

1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees F. Scrub the sweet potatoes well and pat them dry. Cut three squares of aluminum foil. Place each sweet potato on a foil square and drizzle with a small amount of vegetable oil. Using your hands, rub the oil in a thin, even layer around the poatoes. Prick each potato with a fork several times and wrap loosly in the foil. Place on a baking sheet and bake for 30 minutes to 1 hour. Check at 30 minutes. You will know the sweet potatoes are ready when a they feel quite soft and a knife easily glides all the way through. If they are not ready put them back in the oven for 10 minutes and check again. Let them cool before scopping the insides out and mashing them for the casserole. Discard the skin.

2. Preheat (or reduce heat) to 325 degrees F.

3. In a large bowl, mix together the sweet potatoes, white sugar, eggs, salt, butter, milk and vanilla extract. Mix until smooth. Transfer to a lightly greased 9x13 inch baking dish.

4. In medium bowl, mix the brown sugar, cinnamon, clove, nutmeg and flour. Cut in the butter until the mixture is coarse. Stir in the pecans. Sprinkle the mixture over the sweet potato mixture.

5. Bake in the preheated oven 30 minutes, or until the topping is lightly brown.