Classic Sweet Potato Pie
Description: Custardy and classic, this easy pie shows off the earthy richness of sweet potatoes with a little butter and a blend of warming spices. Be sure to start with good-looking spuds-firm and speckle-free. As they bake, they'll caramelize a bit. Because sweet potatoes vary in sweetness, I have you taste the filling before beating in the eggs to see if you want a touch more sugar.
Ingredients
- 2 pounds sweet potatoes
- 1 disk Carla's Classic Pie Dough, fitted into a deep-dish pie plate and frozen
- ½ teaspoon ground cinnamon
- ½ teaspoon ground ginger
- ¼ teaspoon ground allspice
- ¼ teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg
- ½2 teaspoon salt
- 5 tablespoons unsalted butter, softened
- ½ cup packed light brown sugar, plus more if needed
- 1 cup evaporated milk
- 2 large eggs
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350°F.
- Put the sweet potatoes on a foil-lined half-sheet pan. Bake, turning once, until very tender, 1½ to 2 hours. When cool enough to handle, take the sweet potatoes out of their jackets and scrape the flesh into a 1-quart measuring cup. You should have 2½ cups packed sweet potato.
- Raise the oven temperature to 425°F.
- Line the frozen dough with foil and fill with pie weights. Bake until dry and set, about 25 minutes. Remove the foil with the weights and bake the dough until golden brown, about 5 minutes longer. Let cool completely, then place on a half-sheet pan.
- Transfer the sweet potato to a large bowl and add the cinnamon, ginger, allspice, nutmeg, salt, butter, brown sugar, and the evaporated milk. Beat with a heavy whisk until smooth. Taste and add more brown sugar if you'd like. The amount will depend on the sweetness of your spuds. Add the eggs and whisk until fully incorporated. Pour into the pie crust and spread evenly.
- Bake for 15 minutes, then reduce the oven temperature to 350°F. Bake until the top is golden brown and the filling has puffed and set, about 40 minutes. Let cool completely on a wire rack.
- Make ahead: The unbaked crust can be frozen for up to 1 month. The sweet potatoes can be baked, mashed, and refrigerated for up to 3 days.