We remember the chill we felt years ago when we were asked to bring something "sweet potatoey" in a casserole to a potluck Thanksgiving dinner. "Do whatever you like with it," chirped our hostess, who grew up in the South, where sweet potatoes have been cultivated for centuries. Instead of feeling comforted by her open-ended invitation to step into the kitchen and let loose with four pounds of sweet potatoes and a casserole, we were practically catatonic. As Northerners who thought baking was the beginning and end of things you could do with sweet potatoes, the idea of putting them in a casserole was more than we could manage.

There was no Internet to turn to, which was probably just as well because if you go to Google now and type in "sweet potato casseroles" you'll come face-to-face with thousands of recipes and a lot of words like "yummy," "sticky-sweet" and "spirited."

Then, we remembered a mashed sweet potato concoction with crushed pineapple and marshmallows that we had once eaten, and our Thanksgiving recipe started to take shape. In addition to the sweet potatoes, which were mixed with brown sugar and butter, we added Southern pecans, a little vanilla and a slug of bourbon. The details are fuzzy but we do remember that in the end, it resembled Kentucky Bourbon Sweet Potato Casserole. We carried it to the party in a shopping bag on the subway and came home with an empty dish that had been practically licked clean.

Kentucky Bourbon

Sweet Potato Casserole

2 (29-ounce) cans sweet potatoes, drained

1/3 cup good-quality bourbon

1 cup packed dark brown sugar, divided

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

1/2 teaspoon salt

1 cup pecan halves

11/2 tablespoons melted butter

Preheat oven to 350F.

In a large bowl, mix potatoes, bourbon, 1/2 cup brown sugar, vanilla and salt. Spoon into a 13-by-9-inch baking pan.

Combine remaining brown sugar, pecans and butter; mix well. Sprinkle evenly over potatoes.

Bake 25 minutes or until top is browned. Serves 8.

Source: Recipe by Doug Hosford.

Per serving: 410 calories, 12g fat, 5g protein, 67g carbohydrates, 4g fiber, 290mg sodium.

Look for Relish magazine, celebrating America's love of food, each month in the Gazette-Times. For more Relish recipes, see www.relishmag.com.