- I also call this
heart attack on a plate, even though it isn't really
that bad.
Makes one generous 9’’ pie or a normal 10'' pie.
I made this up by combining 3 recipes gleaned from people at work. Be warned, people really like this pie. Really, really.
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Filling Ingredients
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Additional needs
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- 1 – 9’’ pie crust. Additional crust for decoration is optional- your favorite pie crust recipe is fine, although I do not recommend sweet or crumb crusts. The one I use is at the end of this write-up.
- A 9’’ pie tin. I usually use disposable aluminum tins. You will need to adjust the time for ceramic or glass pie pans. Clear glass or pyrex will bake more quickly, clay will bake more slowly. This pie will fit in a 10’’ pan as well, although you will need more crust.
- a rolling pin
- a large mixing bowl
- a mixer
- a rubber scraper
- some waxed paper
- a pastry cutter
- scissors or a knife to trim the pastry
- a cookie cutter (optional)
- a baking sheet lined with parchment paper for baking the sweet potatoes
- a pastry brush (if glazing)
Bake the sweet potatoes at 350°F until they are done, let them cool at least part of the way and then peel and mash. It is possible to microwave them, but I don’t recommend this unless you are in a hurry to finish cooking them. Baking them in the oven causes some of the moisture to evaporate, intensifying the flavor of the sweet potatoes and causing some of the sugars to carmelize.
Preheat the oven to 350°F and place the oven rack in the lower third of the oven.
Let the sweet potatoes come to room temperature. Beat the sugars and butter together until smooth, then blend together with the sweet potatoes. Beat in the remaining ingredients until thoroughly mixed and slightly fluffy. Scrape the mixture into the prepared pie crust. Smooth it out with the spatula and top, if desired, with decorative crust pieces. Glaze exposed crust surfaces with egg white if desired.
Bake for 50-60 min. or until the edges of the filling start to brown, the top begins to crack, and the filling has swelled. The crust should also be a rich golden brown. If you glazed the crust, it will be shiny as well. Serve at room temperature or lightly chilled.
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Crust Ingredients
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Cut butter and shortening into the flour until it looks like coarse cornmeal. Add the water and mix gently until the mixture just starts coming together. Shape into a 4 inch disk, wrap with waxed paper, and chill until you are ready to roll it out.
Roll it out and line the pie tin, trimming the excess and fluting the edge. You will need to flute the edge or else the 9’’ tin won’t be big enough. Do this by trimming the crust so that it hangs about 1/2’’ or 1 cm. over the lip of the tin. Fold the overhang under and press it gently. Then, pinch the dough up gently at regular intervals to form an upright zigzagging lip of crust
If desired, gather up any scraps, chill and re-roll them, and then use a leaf shaped cookie cutter and cut out several pieces to decorate the top of the pie. Re-cover the crust with the waxed paper and keep it chilled until ready for filling. If you want to do a lot of leaves, make extra pie crust for this. If you plan on layering the leaves, roll them twice as thin or they won't bake through.