Freakin' good sweet potatoes

I have had many people tell me they don't like sweet potatoes and then completely change their minds after having these. They really are freakin' good. I got this recipe from a friend of ours years ago. The big change I made was to roast the sweet potatoes instead of cutting them into cubes and mashing them. You can do them either way, but I think roasting them gives them a nice carmelized flavor. It is also so much easier! I have literally put them in the oven and forgotten about them! I don't recommend doing this though.
I usually grab 3 big sweet potatoes that are relatively the same size. I wash them and then poke them all over with a fork or knife. If you want to get your "psycho" on, use the knife. But be careful. Then plop them on a cookie sheet. I use my Pampered Chef stone. I bake them at 325 degrees for about 1.5 hours, or until they are wrinkly and soft (see below).  Don't forget to set the timer! When they are done, let them sit on the cookie sheet until cooled. Then you grab the skin with your fingers and pull it off. Put the peeled sweet potatoes in a large bowl. You can also put the peeled potatoes in a ziplock bag and put them in the fridge for later.

Sweet potatoes as prepared above
2 eggs
1 C sugar
1/4 C melted butter
2 tsp vanilla

• put all ingredients in a bowl
• with a potato masher, mash and mix all the ingredients together
• dump into a 13 x 9 pan and set aside

Topping:

1 C coconut

1 C chopped pecans

1/2 C brown sugar

1/3 C flour

1/4 C melted butter

• I found the best way to mix this is to mix all dry together with a fork, making sure you break up all the clumps
• pour in melted butter and mix well
• sprinkle over top of sweet potatoes
• Bake for 30-35 minutes, until browned and bubbly