A creamy, sweet potato pie was a new adventure for my family – and we loved it!
A few years back I did a series of 26 pies from A to Z, and some of those pies are on my blog today (like the Vichyssoise Leek & Potato Pie, Wee Little Blueberry Pies and Toffee & Chocolate Chunk Pie.) I polled my family and friends to find out everyone’s favorite pies, and tried to incorporate as many as I could into my project. (The top three were Chocolate, Apple and Pumpkin.)
After a solid month of pies it felt like I had made every flavor under the sun. And yet, I missed this one: the Sweet Potato Pie!
While prepping for a Thanksgiving Pies segment on Fox Local 22/44 I asked friends and anchors Brittney Hibbs and Amanda Thibault to share their favorites. For Brittney it is blueberry and cherry. And for Amanda, who grew up in Florida the favorites are pecan pie… and sweet potato pie! None of my friends or family seemed to know much about sweet potato pie or had ever tried one. So I couldn’t wait to give it a try!
My research revealed the simplicity of a sweet potato pie: sweet potatoes of course, plus sugar, cinnamon and nutmeg – flavorings similar to the much more familiar pumpkin pie.
Many recipes I saw called for boiled sweet potatoes. I decided to roast them instead to get the added flavor, coating the chunks with brown sugar and boiled cider.
After roasting I pureed the potato as much as I could to get a smooth texture, which I assumed (and hoped!) was the way people liked their sweet potato pie.
It needed a long bake but in the end I had a great looking pie! The filling is sweet and smooth, scented with those holiday spices. I shared it with coworkers who were eager to taste-test, and they loved it! My good friend Natalie made it that very weekend for her family who also loved it, and requested it for the Thanksgiving Day table.
How nice to have another pie in the repertoire! And the best news: Amanda at the TV station liked it!
Tip: this recipe calls for boiled cider, which gives wonderful sweetness and flavor to the roasting sweet potatoes. You can find boiled cider at this link!
Sweet Potato Pie
Ingredients
- 1-1/2 pounds sweet potatoes
- 1/3 cup boiled cider
- 2/3 cup + 2 tablespoons light brown sugar
- 1 cup all-purpose flour, unbleached
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 6 tablespoons cold butter, divided
- 3 tablespoons very cold shortening (stored in fridge or freezer)
- Ice water
- 1 cup half & half
- 3 eggs
- 1/3 cup granulated sugar
- 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
- 1 teaspoon cinnamon
- 1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
Instructions
Make the pie dough:
- Combine the flour and salt in a large bowl. Add 3 tablespoons of the butter, and all the shortening. Use a pastry cutter to cut these into the flour mixture. The mixture should look like coarse crumbs. Add in the ice water 1 tablespoon at a time just until the dough is moistened enough to hold together when squeezed. Turn out the dough mixture onto a floured surface and knead 4 or 5 times into a smooth dough. Flatten it into a disk and wrap in plastic wrap. Place the dough disk in the fridge for 2 hours.
Prepare the sweet potatoes:
- Preheat the oven to 450°. Very lightly coat the bottom of an 8″ x 8″ pan with cooking spray. Peel the sweet potatoes. Cut them into 1″ thick slices and then cut each slice into quarters. Place the cut potatoes into the pan along with the boiled cider and 2 tablespoons of the brown sugar. Toss the potatoes to coat them with sugar and cider. Cover the pan with foil and bake for 15 minutes. Remove the foil, stir the potatoes and bake them uncovered for 20 to 30 more minutes. The potatoes should be soft and mashable. Remove the pan from the oven, transfer the potatoes to a dish and allow them to cool to room temperature.
- Once cooled, purée the cooled potatoes in a food processor while slowly adding in the half and half. The potato/half and half mixture should be as smooth as possible – purée it in batches if need be. Transfer the puréed potatoes to the bowl of a stand mixer.
- Melt the remaining 3 tablespoons butter in the microwave (10 second bursts until it’s melted.) Add this to the potatoes. Add in the eggs, the remaining 2/3 cup of brown sugar, the granulated sugar, vanilla, cinnamon, nutmeg and salt. Mix everything together in the stand mixer until the ingredients are combined and smooth. Set this mixture aside.
- Preheat the oven to 375° F. Remove the chilled dough from the fridge and roll it out on a floured surface into a large circle, about 13 inches in diameter. Fit the dough into a 9″ pie plate and crimp the edge. Prick the dough all over with a fork, then place a sheet of foil or parchment to cover the surface and shield the edges of the dough. Fill the shell with pie weights or dried beans. Bake the pie shell for 20 minutes. Remove the foil and weights, and then bake it for 10 minutes more. Remove the pie shell from the oven and allow it to cool for 15 minutes.
Assemble the pie:
- Reduce the oven heat to 350° F. Spoon the sweet potato filling into the prebaked shell and smooth the top. Cover the pie crust edges with foil to prevent over-browning. Bake the pie for 50 to 55 minutes until a knife inserted in the center comes out almost clean. Allow the pie to cool completely on a cooling rack.
- Fresh, sweetened whipped cream can be spread over the cooled pie before slicing, or simply add dollops to slices as you serve them. Spreading whipped cream over the uncut pie can be a great option to hide a crack in the top of your pie, should one appear after it’s baked!
Notes
Create, Be Curious, Celebrate… with Food!
Nutrition
What do you think of this Sweet Potato Pie? Click the stars above the recipe to rate it, or leave a comment for me below!
Leave a Reply