It sounds typical to say I'm from Canada and I've never had sweet potato pie, but I think it's just all in who you know and my exposure to Southern Belles up to this point has been pretty limited. However, I spent Thanksgiving this year with a real life Southern Gal, and she put me in charge of the sweet potato pie - she even gave me her Granny's recipe. I will be honest here and admit that I didn't think it'd be too exciting. I mean, I do like sweet potatoes, there was that year that I added them to everything and I love me some sweet potato fries but I didn't think they could be dessert-y.
Man I was wrong. If you've had this then you're laughing at me by now, because holy moly is it ever desserty. I could eat it again and again - especially with the pecan crust AND the marshmallows on top! SAVE ME FROM MYSELF!
Sweet Potato Pie via Nichole's Granny
3 cups cooked and mashed sweet potatoes
1 1/2 cups sugar
1/2 stick butter
2 eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla (or 1 or 2 tablespoons burbon if this is a grown up dinner)
1/4 teaspoon cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon ground ginger
1 cup milk
9 inch pie shell (unbaked)
Topping:
2 tablespoons butter
1/2 cup flour
1/2 cup brown sugar
1/2 cup chopped pecans
1 cup mini marshmallows
Mix the sugar, butter, eggs, vanilla, salt, cinnamon and ginger into the mashed sweet potatoes. When I made this, the sweet potatoes were still really hot so the sugar and the butter just melted right into them. I used a potato masher but of course you could use an immersion blender.
Add the milk slowly while mixing to be sure it's incorporating well, then pour it into the unbaked pie shell and bake for about an hour. Make the topping by cutting all the ingredients (except the marshmallows) together in a large bowl while the pie is baking.
Top the pie with the pecan topping and bake for another 15 minutes or so. When it's done, add the marshmallows on top and pop it back in until they melt and harden into a crazy-amazing crust. OMG this was so good!