Christine Taylor's Sweet Potato and Pecan Pie

Christine Taylor's Sweet Potato and Pecan Pie

Makes two 9-inch pies or

20 servings

The author's version of her grandmother's pie calls for plenty of spice and lots of pecans. Follow her lead and adjust the recipe to your own taste, but Brown and her grandmother have one absolute rule: Do not use a prepared pie crust. Her grandmother prefers Jiffy Pie Crust mix, but any homemade recipe is acceptable.

Enough pie dough for 2 single crusts

3 large sweet potatoes (2 1/2 to 3 pounds total)

4 tablespoons ( 1/2 stick) unsalted butter, cut into pieces

1 cup sugar

1/2 cup light brown sugar

One 14-ounce can sweetened condensed milk

1 1/2 to 3 teaspoons freshly grated nutmeg

3 to 6 teaspoons cinnamon

Juice of 1/2 lemon

3 eggs, lightly beaten

4 cups pecan halves

Divide the dough in half. Roll each half into a circle and fit into a 9-inch pie pan, finishing the edge of each crust as desired. Refrigerate until ready to use.

Rinse the sweet potatoes and place in a large pot. Add enough water to cover them. Over medium-high heat, bring the water to a boil. Cook until the sweet potatoes are completely tender, about 1 1/2 hours. Remove the potatoes from the water.

Put the butter into the large bowl of a standing electric mixer. Carefully peel each potato (because they are hot), also removing any brown flesh. Add the hot potatoes to the butter and mash them until smooth.

Preheat the oven to 250 degrees.

Beat the sweet-potato mixture with the white and brown sugars until smooth. Add the sweetened condensed milk, nutmeg and cinnamon to taste and the lemon juice. Mix on low until thoroughly combined, adding the eggs until they are just combined.

Divide the pecans between the two prepared crusts, reserving about 1/3 cup of the best-looking halves to garnish the pies. Pour the sweet potato filling over the nuts, dividing the batter between the two pies. Top each pie with the pecan halves, arranging them as desired.

Bake the pies for 1 hour at 250 degrees. Raise the heat to 350 degrees and bake until the pies are firm, the crust has begun to brown and the pies have puffed a little, 25 to 30 minutes.

Recipe tested by Stephanie Witt Sedgwick; e-mail questions tofood@washpost.com.

Per serving (based on 20): 476 calories, 7 g protein, 56 g carbohydrates, 27 g fat, 48 mg cholesterol, 6 g saturated fat, 151 mg sodium, 4 g dietary fiber