Elvis Presley's Sweet Potato Pie
Submitted by brunette36f
Elvis Presley’s sweet potato pie sweetened with brown sugar and nutmeg, bound with evaporated milk and eggs, and built with a russet potato slipped into the mash for old-school Southern body.
YIELD
8 servingsPREP
45 minCOOK
45 minREADY
90 minThere’s a russet potato in this Southern sweet potato pie, and that’s no typo. The Tupelo and Memphis tradition Elvis grew up eating often slipped one regular potato into the mix to tame the candy-sweet edge of the yams and give the filling a sturdier body. It bakes up dense without going gummy.
Boiled, peeled, then mashed by hand with butter, brown sugar, and freshly grated nutmeg. The masher matters here. A food processor would work the starch too hard and turn the filling pasty. You want that slightly textured, homestyle finish.
The two-temperature bake is doing real work. Fifteen minutes at 450°F (230°C) sets the crust and starts a crust-side caramelization on the filling. Then the drop to 325°F (160°C) lets the custard set gently across the next half hour without curdling. That last splash of evaporated milk drizzled on top creates a pale streak across the surface as it bakes.
Chef Tips
- Freshly grate the nutmeg if you can; the pre-ground stuff goes flat fast
- Cover the crust edge with foil if it browns too quickly in the first hot phase
- Cool completely on a rack before slicing; warm sweet potato pie shears apart and weeps
- A scoop of vanilla ice cream or a dollop of bourbon-spiked whipped cream is the move for serving
Variations
- Add a teaspoon of cinnamon and a pinch of clove for a more spiced profile
- Swap two teaspoons of bourbon for the vanilla for a Southern-with-an-edge version
- Top each slice with whipped cream and a dust of nutmeg
Ingredients
Directions
Place all of the well-scrubbed potatoes in a 3-quart saucepan. Cover with cold water and bring to a boil over high heat.
Reduce heat to a simmer and cook until potatoes are very soft, about 20 to 30 minutes. Drain and when cool enough to handle, peel.
In a medium bowl, combine potatoes, butter, brown sugar and nutmeg. Using a potato masher, cream the potatoes until very smooth.
In a small bowl, beat eggs, 1 cup evaporated milk and vanilla together.
Beat this mixture into the potatoes. Mix thoroughly. Pour into piecrust and drizzle the remaining ¼ cup of milk on top.
Bake 15 minutes in a preheated 450℉ (230℃). oven then turn heat to 325℉ (160℃). and continue baking for 30 minutes or more until the filling is set.
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