Rosie's Sweet Potato Pies

Buster's friend's Note:

Found this in the Times-Picayune. It was reposted in response to a request who lost his copy of it from Hurricane Katrina's flooding. Too many treat the sweet potato the same as pumpkin when making pies. It has a different more subtle flavor that benefits from judicious use of only nutmeg to let its own glorious flavor shine through. Only difference between this & our own recipe is we roast rather than boil our sweet potatoes. Posted as printed in The Times-Picayune. NOTE - this can be mixed aheaad of time & stored in the fridge to be poured into prepared crusts when ready to bake (a great thing when the oven is full!).

• Total Time: 2 hrs 25 mins
• Prep Time: 15 mins
• Cook Time: 2 hrs 10 mins

Ingredients:

Yield: 4 pies

• 3 lbs sweet potatoes (about 2 large ones)
• ½ cup butter , softened
• 1 (12 ounce) can evaporated milk (1 1/2 cups)
• 2 cups sugar
• 2 tablespoons ground nutmeg
• 1 tablespoon vanilla extract
• 6 large eggs
• 4 unbaked 9-inch pie shells

Directions:

1. Scrub the potatoes and boil them until very tender, about one hour; drain.
2. (we roast ours in a 400 degree F oven until soft & the flesh sinks away from the papery skin & let them cool overnight - we find this caramelizes the natural sugars & lets us reduce the sugar in the recipe to 1 1/4 cups).
3. When cool enough to handle, peel the potatoes and place in the large bowl of an electric mixer. Add the butter, milk, sugar, nutmeg, vanilla and eggs. Beat until the mixture is smooth. (If the filling is made ahead of time, cover and refrigerate until ready to bake the pies.).
4. Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Pour the filling into the pie shells and bake until crusts are golden brown, 30 to 35 minutes. Serve warm or at room temperature, topped with ice cream or sweetened whipped cream, if desired.