KNR, p. 67 “I like pie!”
I love a great dessert. Cake, cookies, pudding, ice cream – they’re all tasty, but for me, the best dessert is pie. Cream pies, chocolate pies, fruit pies, potato pies? Bring ‘em on. I’ll eat ‘em all. Except coconut. Never could get used to the texture.
Sheila’s grandmother made a great white sweet potato pie, but would not share her secret! She moved away and I can’t get my yearly fix, so just before Christmas, we baked until we got the taste just right. Sheila baked – I ate. I could eat a whole pie by myself, no problem. I found the white sweet potatoes at the farmer’s market, so Sheila could practice, practice. They have a milder, sweeter flavor than the orange ones and they’re also good baked.
- 3-4 large white sweet potatoes (yields 2 cups mashed white sweet potatoes)
- ¾ cup white cane sugar
- ¼ cup brown sugar
- 1 teaspoon sea salt
- 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 1 teaspoon pure vanilla
- 2 jumbo eggs
- 5 oz. evaporated milk
- 5 oz. half & half
- 1 unbaked deep dish pie shell
- Preheat oven to 425.
- Peel, then cut, 3-4 large white sweet potatoes into two inch chunks, and boil until sharp cooking fork can slide easily into the chunks (about 20 minutes, but don’t let them get squishy)
- Drain the potatoes thoroughly.
- Beat with electric mixer until consistency of stiff mashed potatoes.
- In large bowl, mix together 2 cups mashed potatoes and both sugars.
- One at a time, add sea salt, cinnamon, vanilla, eggs, evaporated milk and half & half.
- Mix until just blended.
- Pour into pie shell.
- Place on cookie sheet in center of oven.
- Bake at 425 for 15 minutes.
- Drop oven temperature to 350 and bake an additional 35 minutes or until center is set and knife inserted in middle comes out clean.
- Cool on pie rack for 1 hour.
- Serve with ice cream.
- Try to stop at one slice. 😉
Sheila’s family is from the South and she told me that white sweet potatoes are easily grown in home gardens down there.
Enjoy!
*Photo by Patti Phillips
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