Preheat the oven to 400° F.
Take a fork and poke each sweet potato all around. Rub each potato with a little bit of oil or butter and place them on a baking sheet. Bake for about 45-60 minutes or until tender.
Alternativaely you can cook potatoes in an instant pot. Directions: Place the stainless steel trivet into the Instant Pot, then place the potatoes on top. Add 1 cup water. Lock the lid of the Instant Pot. Place the pressure knob to “Sealing” position. Press the Pressure Cook button, making sure the “High Pressure” setting is selected, and set the time for 16 minutes. Natural release for 10 minutes then vent any remaining steam by moving the knob to “Venting” Open the lid and carefully remove the hot sweet potatoes with tongs. Go to step 4 now.
Scoop out the insides of the sweet potatoes and place in a mixing bowl. Add 2 tbsp maple syrup, cinnamon, nutmeg, ½ teaspoon salt, vanilla, ½ stick butter and eggs.
Blend with a hand mixer until well combined.
Place the sweet potato mix in a casserole dish and bake for 30 minutes.
While the sweet potatoes are baking, in a small bowl, mix together the pecans, remaining tablespoon of maple syrup, ¼ teaspoon salt and remaining 2 tablespoons of butter. Set aside.
When done, take the casserole dish out of the oven and turn the oven to broil. Top the casserole with the pecans (and optional Trader Joe's, Dandy or Max Mallow brand marshmallows) and place back in the oven for 2-3 minutes.