Sweet Potato Pie

Sweet potato pie predates pumpkin pie in the American South, brought by West African enslaved people who substituted sweet potatoes for the yams of their homeland. It remains a cornerstone of Black Southern cooking and a fixture at holiday tables across the region.

Serves: 8

Ingredients

Filling:

• 700 g (1.5 lb) orange-fleshed sweet potatoes (about 3 medium)
• 115 g (8 tbsp) unsalted butter, softened
• 200 g (1 cup) granulated sugar
• 2 large eggs
• 120 ml (½ cup) evaporated milk
• 1 tsp (5 ml) vanilla extract
• 1 tsp (2 g) ground cinnamon
• ½ tsp (1 g) ground nutmeg
• ¼ tsp (0.5 g) ground ginger
• Pinch of salt

Crust:

• 200 g (1⅔ cups) plain flour
• 115 g (8 tbsp) cold unsalted butter, cubed
• 1 tsp (4 g) sugar
• ½ tsp (2 g) salt
• 3–4 tbsp (45–60 ml) ice water

Instructions

1. Preheat oven to 200°C (400°F). Pierce sweet potatoes all over and bake 50–60 minutes until completely soft. Cool, peel, and mash until smooth.
2. Make crust: pulse flour, butter, sugar, and salt in a food processor until pea-sized. Add ice water 1 tbsp at a time until dough just comes together. Wrap and chill 30 minutes.
3. Roll dough on a floured surface to a 30 cm (12-inch) round. Fit into a 23 cm (9-inch) pie dish, crimp edges, and blind-bake at 190°C (375°F) for 12 minutes.
4. Beat butter and sugar until fluffy. Add eggs one at a time, then sweet potato, evaporated milk, vanilla, and spices. Mix until very smooth.
5. Pour filling into par-baked shell. Bake at 175°C (350°F) for 45–50 minutes until filling is just set with a slight wobble in the centre.
6. Cool completely on a rack — at least 2 hours — before slicing.

Cook's Notes: Roasting rather than boiling the sweet potatoes concentrates their flavour and keeps the filling from becoming watery. The pie slices best when fully cold and is just as good the next day.