A good sweet potato pie recipe is handy, especially during the holidays. For the puree, I use a mix of standard Beauregard sweet potatoes, the dark orange Red Garnet, and a Jersey white sweet potato. Each offers a different texture and sweetness for the pie. That being said, I don’t consider the variety absolutely necessary. This recipe will be a winner even only the common orange Beauregard.
YIELD: Serves 8
Ingredients – Crust
• 1¼ cups all-purpose flour, plus more for dusting
• 2 tablespoons sugar
• ½ teaspoon fine sea salt
• 8 tablespoons cold unsalted butter, cubed
• 1½ to 2 ounces cold water
Ingredients – Filling
• 1½ cups pureed sweet potato (about 2¼ pounds)
• ½ cup light brown sugar
• 1 large egg
• ½ teaspoon ground cinnamon
• ¼ teaspoon ground ginger
• ¼ teaspoon freshly grated or ground nutmeg
• ¼ teaspoon fine sea salt
• ¼ cup whole milk
Ingredients – Crumb Topping
• 1 cup all-purpose flour
• 1⁄3 cup light brown sugar
• ½ teaspoon fine sea salt
• ¼ teaspoon ground cinnamon
• ¼ teaspoon freshly grated or ground nutmeg
• 8 tablespoons cold unsalted butter, cubed
Note: You can make the puree any way you choose, but pricking the potatoes with a fork and microwaving until tender to be the fastest method. Once they’re cool enough to handle, cut them open and scoop the flesh into a bowl. Use an immersion blender or potato masher to blend until smooth.
Sweet Potato Pie Preparation
Preheat the oven to 375°F
Make the Crust
Combine the flour, sugar and salt in a medium bowl. Add the butter. Use two knives or a pastry blender to work the butter into the dough until it is evenly distributed in pea-size pieces. Add 1½ ounces of the water and stir until the dough will form into a ball. Add up to ½ ounce more water, if needed. Alternatively, you can pulse the ingredients in a food processor.
Dust the dough ball with flour and roll on a well-floured surface into a 13-inch circle. Transfer the dough to a 9½-inch-diameter, deep pie pan. Arrange the dough in the pan and crimp the edges. Place the pie pan in the refrigerator to chill while you work on the filling and topping.
Make the Filling
Stir together the sweet potato puree and brown sugar in a medium bowl. Stir in the egg until all ingredients are combined. Add the cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg, and salt and stir again. Fold in the milk until the filling is smooth.
Make the Crumb Topping
Place the flour in a medium bowl. Add the brown sugar, salt, cinnamon and nutmeg. Drop in the cubed butter, then use two knives or a pastry blender to work it into the dry ingredients until the butter is mixed through in both large and small pieces. It should be somewhat dry and crumbly.
Remove the crust from the refrigerator. Prick the bottom of the crust a few times with a fork. Pour in the sweet potato filling and spread it evenly on the pie crust. Top the filling with the crumble, covering the pie completely.
Bake for 40 to 45 minutes, until crust is golden brown and the center is firm and doesn’t jiggle when the pie is moved.
Remove from the oven, let cool to room temperature (at least 1 hour), and serve.
This sweet potato pie recipe with crumb topping was written for Hobby Farms magazine. Click here to subscribe.
