Al Roker Says It’s Not Thanksgiving Without His ‘Terrific’ Sweet Potato Casserole

"It could be a side dish, or it could be a dessert — it’s almost like a sweet potato pie without the crust," says the 'Today' anchor

A must-have holiday dish in Al Roker's house has mysterious origins.

"Sweet potato poon is one of those things where, I don't know if my mom got it from somebody, I don't even know where the name came from," the Today anchor says about his mother's recipe. "It wasn’t the holidays in our house if sweet potato poon wasn’t there."

The Roker family's sweet potato poon, which is included in his new cookbook Al Roker’s Recipes to Live By, is a twist on a classic marshmallow-topped casserole. The dish is chock-full of autumnal spices, like cinnamon and allspice, but with a surprising twist: canned pineapple.

Related: The Absolute Best Thanksgiving Side Dishes

"It has a sweet, umami kind of flavor about it. It's just terrific," says Roker. "It could be a side dish, or it could be a dessert — it’s almost like a sweet potato pie without the crust."

Al Roker’s Marshmallow-Topped Sweet Potato Casserole

3 lbs. sweet potatoes, peeled and cut into 2-in. chunks (about 9 cups)

½ cup (4 oz.) unsalted butter, cut into ½-in. pieces

1 cup packed dark brown sugar

¾ cup (about 3 ¼ oz.) all-purpose flour

2 Tbsp. baking powder

1½ tsp. kosher salt

½ tsp. ground cinnamon

¼ tsp. ground nutmeg

¼ tsp. ground allspice

¾ cup canned crushed pineapple, drained (from 1 [20-oz.] can) (optional)

1 (12-oz.) pkg. large marshmallows

1. Preheat oven to 350°. Grease a 13x9-inch broiler-safe baking dish with cooking spray.

2. Bring a large pot of water to a boil over high. Add potatoes; cook, stirring occasionally, until tender when pierced with a fork, about 16 minutes. Drain, and transfer to a large bowl; add butter, and mash using a potato masher until mostly smooth and butter is fully combined. Stir in brown sugar, flour, baking powder, salt, cinnamon, nutmeg and allspice until well-combined. Fold in crushed pineapple, and spread mixture in an even layer in baking dish.

3. Bake in preheated oven until lightly browned, about 30 minutes. Remove from oven. Preheat oven to broil with rack about 6 inches from heat source.

4. Place marshmallows in a single layer on top of sweet potatoes. Broil until marshmallows are toasted, 1 to 2 minutes. Let casserole cool for at least 10 minutes before serving.

Serves: 12

Active time: 20 minutes

Total time: 1 hour, 20 minutes