Don’t let the demure looks or unassuming name of this sweet potato pie fool you. This pie is silky smooth with an exquisite texture. It’s really too bad that pumpkin pie stole the Thanksgiving spotlight. 

Unlike a canned sweet potato pie, this homemade version takes advantage of the natural sweetness and smooth texture of fresh sweet potatoes. It’s the dessert your guests will still be talking about long after the holiday has ended.

Ingredients

• 2 or 3 medium to large sweet potatoes (about 1 1/2 pounds)
• 2 large eggs
• 1 ½ cups granulated sugar
• 1 can evaporated milk
• 1 stick unsalted sweet butter, room temperature
• ¼ teaspoon nutmeg
• 1 ½ teaspoons cinnamon
• 1 9-inch pie shell

Preparation

Boil sweet potatoes in their skin until they are knife tender (knife inserted into the potato slides off easily).

Drain the water off and allow sweet potatoes to cool. Peel and discard the skin. In a medium mixing bowl, add the sweet potatoes, eggs, butter, 1 teaspoon of cinnamon, nutmeg and 1 ¼ cups of the sugar, and whip until incorporated.

Add evaporated milk a little at a time until the filling becomes loose. Pour the filling into the pie crust.

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Take the remaining evaporated milk, ½ teaspoon cinnamon and sugar and heat until the sugar is dissolved. Brush the mixture on top of the filling.

Place pie into the oven and bake for 50 minutes or until the pie is firm to the touch, and wiggles slightly in the center, like Jell-O. (If the crust begins to brown more quickly than you would like, you can shield it with a pie crust shield, then keep on baking until the pie’s center is set, but this usually does not happen.)

Remove pie from the oven and allow to cool slightly before eating.

Leftover pie, (unlikely) should be stored in the refrigerator, loosely covered with foil wrap.