Down-Home Sweet Potato Pie

When the leaves start to turn and there is a crisp feel to the air, some dishes are mandatory to place on the menu. Down-Home Sweet Potato Pie is definitely at the top of the list! Tenderly cooked sweet potatoes are perfectly blended and seasoned with the tastes of fall and placed atop a flaky pie crust. Then, it gets covered with a light cloud of golden meringue that perfectly hits the spot. The best dessert ever, Down-Home Sweet Potato Pie is just like what nana used to make. It will elevate your holiday gatherings, or just an everyday meal, with the tasty hint that fall has arrived. Get that down-home feeling!

Ingredients

For the pie crust:

• 1 1/4 cups all-purpose flour, plus more, to taste, for dusting a work surface
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 4 tablespoons butter or margarine
• 2 tablespoons shortening
• 3 tablespoons cold water

For the filling:

• 1 1/2 pounds sweet potatoes
• water, to taste
• 3 egg yolks
• 3/4 cup light brown sugar, packed
• 1 1/2 cups half-and-half or light cream
• 2 tablespoons light molasses
• 1 1/4 teaspoons ground cinnamon
• 1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
• 1/2 teaspoon salt

For the meringue:

• 3 egg whites
• 1/4 teaspoon cream of tartar
• 1 cup sugar

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Directions

Step 1 –Grease a 9 1/2-inch deep-dish pie plate.

Step 2 –In a medium bowl, add 1 1/4 cups of the flour and 1/2 teaspoon of the salt and whisk to combine.

Step 3 –Use a pastry blender to cut the butter and the shortening into the flour mixture until it resembles coarse crumbs.

Step 4 –Add 3 tablespoons of the cold water, 1 tablespoon at a time, to the flour mixture and mix lightly with a fork after each addition until the dough is just moist enough to hold together.

Step 5 –Use the extra flour to dust a work surface.

Step 6 –Add the dough to the work surface and roll it into a circle with an 11-inch diameter.

Step 7 –Gently ease the dough into the prepared pie plate. Trim the edges, leaving a 1-inch overhang; fold the overhang under and pinch it to form a decorative edge.

Step 8 –Use a fork to prick the bottom and sides of the pie crust in several places to prevent puffing during baking.

Step 9 –Cover the pie crust and place in the refrigerator to chill, about 30 minutes.

Step 10 –Preheat the oven to 425 degrees F.

Step 11 –While the pie crust is chilling, in a 2-quart saucepan over high heat, add the sweet potatoes and enough of the extra water to just cover them and bring to a boil.

Step 12 –Reduce the heat to low and cover the saucepan. Simmer the sweet potatoes until they are fork-tender, about 10 minutes. Drain.

Step 13 –Let the sweet potatoes sit until they are cool enough to handle, then peel them.

Step 14 –In a large bowl, add the peeled sweet potatoes and use a potato masher to mash them. Set them aside.

Step 15 –Transfer the pie crust from the refrigerator. Line the edges with aluminum foil and top with pie weights or dry beans.

Step 16 –Bake the pie crust, about 10 minutes.

Step 17 –Discard the aluminum foil and the weights from the pie crust and bake until it is lightly browned, about 10 minutes. If it puffs up during the baking process, use the back of a spoon to gently press down on it.

Step 18 –Transfer the baked pie crust to a wire rack and let it rest, about 10 minutes.

Step 19 –Lower the oven temperature to 375 degrees F.

Step 20 –To the reserved mashed sweet potatoes, add the 3 egg yolks, the brown sugar, the half-and-half, the molasses, the cinnamon, the nutmeg, and the remaining salt and beat with an electric hand mixer until it is blended.

Step 21 –Pour the sweet potato filling into the cooled pie crust.

Step 22 –Bake the pie until a knife inserted 1-inch from the edge of the crust comes out clean, about 55 minutes-1 hour.

Step 23 –Transfer the baked pie to a wire rack to rest.

Step 24 –Increase the oven temperature to 400 degrees F.

Step 25 –In a medium bowl, add the 3 egg whites and the cream of tartar and use an electric hand mixer on high speed to beat until soft peaks form.

Step 26 –Gradually add the sugar, 2 tablespoons at a time, into the cream mixture and beat after each addition until stiff peaks form.

Step 27 –Evenly spread the meringue over the pie filling, starting from the center to the edge of the crust. Use the back of a spoon to swirl the meringue to make a designed top.

Step 28 –Transfer the meringue-topped pie to the oven and bake until the meringue is golden, about 10 minutes.

Step 29 –Transfer the baked pie to a wire rack and let it cool.

Step 30 –Slice and serve.