Sweet potato pie

A slideshow of fall pies made its way to my inbox from Better Homes & Gardens. Since pies rank near the tippy top of Brad's happy list, we decided to give it a shot. He chose Cornmeal Sweet Potato Pie, but instead of the cornmeal crust, he subbed a recipe from my grandmother. Here's the result:
It looked and smelled wonderful. The taste was subtle, with most flavor coming from the topping and not from the sweet potato filling. We might ramp up the spices in the future. The crust used oil instead of shortening and was very simple to make and handle. And it was surprisingly flaky and good. When time is short, we will definitely use this crust again. Thanks, Ma!

Ingredients

• 1 pound sweet potatoes or one 17-ounce can sweet potatoes, drained
• 1/2 cup packed brown sugar
• 1/4 cup butter, melted
• 1 tablespoon finely shredded orange peel
• 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 1/2 teaspoon ground ginger
• 1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
• 3 slightly beaten eggs
• 1 cup half-and-half or light cream
• 1 recipe Pecan Streusel Topping

Directions

1. If using fresh sweet potatoes, peel potatoes. Cut off woody portions and ends; discard. Cut sweet potatoes into quarters. In a covered large saucepan, cook sweet potatoes in enough boiling, salted water to cover for 25 to 35 minutes or until tender; drain.

2. In a medium bowl, mash drained fresh or canned sweet potatoes (you should have 1-1/2 cups). Reserve any remaining sweet potatoes for another use. Stir in brown sugar, butter, orange peel, cinnamon, ginger, and nutmeg. Whisk in eggs and half-and-half.

3. Place crust on oven rack; pour in filling. Cover edge of pie with foil. Bake in a 375 degree F oven for 30 minutes.

4. Remove foil. Sprinkle with Pecan Streusel Topping. Bake for 18 to 20 minutes more or until a knife inserted near center comes out clean. Cool on wire rack for 30 minutes. Chill at least 2 hours before serving; cover for longer storage. Makes 8 servings.

Pecan Streusel Topping: In a small bowl, stir together 1/4 cup all-purpose flour, 1/4 cup packed brown sugar, 1/8 teaspoon ground cinnamon, and 1/8 teaspoon ground nutmeg. Using a pastry blender, cut in 2 tablespoons butter until the mixture resembles coarse crumbs. Stir in 1/2 cup toasted, coarsely chopped pecans.

Crust: (credited to Ma's friend, Nancy)

2 1/2 c flour

3/4 c canola oil

1 t salt

1/4 c + 1 T water

Combine all ingredients with a fork and use your hands to make ball. Divide in half to make two crusts, and place one ball between sheets of wax paper. Roll out to fit pan, and move to pan........still in paper. Pull off wax paper and fit into pan. Fill with favorite fruit filling and top with second crust.

:)