Paula Deen's Sweet Potato Balls

[patm099]

We made these three times since seeing this recipe. It is a new family favorite. Since I am not a fan of coconut, I used crushed sweetened cornflakes to roll about a third of these in before baking.

Paula Deen's Sweet Potato Balls

4 large sweet potatoes
2/3 cup packed brown sugar
2 Tbsp orange juice
1 tsp orange zest
1/2 tsp freshly grated nutmeg
2 cups shredded coconut, sweetened
1/2 cup granulated sugar
1 tsp ground cinnamon
1 large marshmallow per potato ball

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.

Bake the potatoes until tender, then peel and mash them. Stir in the brown sugar, orange juice, zest and nutmeg. In a separate bowl, toss the coconut with the sugar and cinnamon. Press mashed sweet potatoes around each marshmallow, creating a 2 to 3-inch diameter ball. Roll the balls in the coconut mixture. Bake for 15 to 20 minutes. Watch carefully for the last few minutes of cooking; the expanding marshmallows can cause the potato balls to burst open.