Sweet Potato Pudding

Ingredients

• 5 pounds sweet potatoes, scrubbed
• 3 tablespoons vegetable oil
• One 8-ounce package Philadelphia® cream cheese, at room temperature
• 1 stick unsalted butter, at room temperature
• 1/4 teaspoon regular salt
• 11/4 cups granulated sugar
• 1/2 cup packed light brown sugar
• 5 large eggs
• 1/4 cup evaporated milk
• 1 tablespoon fresh orange juice
• 11/2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
• 1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg
• Vegetable shortening
• 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon

Directions

1. Set an oven rack in the lower third, then heat the oven to 400ºF. Cover a rimmed baking sheet with foil. Coat the sweet potatoes all over with vegetable oil, arrange them on the sheet, and roast on that lower rack until a fork slides in easily, 50 to 55 minutes. Let them cool until you can pick them up comfortably, then remove the skins.
2. Put the cream cheese in a stand mixer bowl with the paddle attached, and beat on medium until it looks light and soft. Add the peeled potatoes and mix until no lumps remain. Set a fine-mesh strainer over a medium bowl, and work the mixture through it with a spoon.
3. Scrape the strained potatoes back into the stand mixer bowl, still using the paddle. Add the butter and salt, then beat the mixture until silky, about 3 minutes. Pour in the granulated sugar and brown sugar and mix until they disappear into the batter. Beat in the eggs 1 at a time, letting each one blend in before the next. Finish by mixing in the milk; follow with the orange juice, vanilla, and nutmeg, and stop once the pudding batter is smooth.
4. Move the rack to the center of the oven. Rub vegetable shortening over a 9x13x2-inch baking pan, covering both the bottom and the sides, then put that pan on a baking sheet.
5. Pour the batter into the prepared pan, then dust the surface with cinnamon. Bake on the middle rack until the center no longer jiggles loosely, 45 to 50 minutes. Set the pudding on a wire rack and let it cool for 15 minutes before you serve it. You can bring it to the table at room temperature, or serve it cold.