Sweet Potato Buttermilk Pie

So....I jumped on the bandwagon and have decided to bring you along.

The Lee Bros., known for their southern recipes, have come out with a new cookbook, just in time for Christmas, hint hint Mr. Foodie, and they have been everywhere.  They were featured on the Today show a few weeks ago and made a pimento cheese potato gratin.  Although I've never been a huge fan of pimento cheese, I proceeded to watch them prepare the dish anyway.  The finished product looked appetizing and Matt (my secret journalist crush) loved it.  So I promptly went to the website to print the recipe but was immediately side tracked by their recipe for a Sweet Potato Buttermilk Pie.  I told you before, I am a sucker for anything sweet potato.  And it's that time of year when sweet potato pies start popping up all over my house.  I love how I say that like I don't know where they are coming from...they just magically appear. 

Well, that same day, before I could even print out the recipe, Rebecca from ezrapoundcake, wrote a post about that same exact pie.  Her picture of the pie was heavenly.  The pie looked light and airy but rich and creamy at the same time.  I literally wanted to eat it right off my computer screen.  Then Deb from smittenkitchen wrote about the same pie this week.  I was determined to test it for Thanksgiving myself.

Now I'm going to be very honest with you right now.  We're friends, remember, so no minimal judgment. I was in a lazy frame of mind when I made this pie and didn't puree the sweet potatoes.  Instead, I just mashed them with a potato masher.  And they were cold when I did that *hanging my head in shame*  It really was the harder route of the two but once I started with the masher, I was too lazy to switch to my electric mixer. And in case you're wondering why the full disclosure, you'll see in the pic below.

My pie did not turn out so smooth looking. See! There were small bits of sweet potato chunks throughout.

But...it wasn't all bad. It was still very edible and darn good.  Now I'm warning you, this is not your typical sweet potato pie.  It is not overly sweet (only 1/2 cup of sugar) and much tangier than typical versions, thanks to the addition of buttermilk and lemon juice.  The taste definitely grew on me and it was perfect with a little cool whip on top with a sprinkling of nutmeg.

I envision two versions of sweet potato pie on our dessert table this year. The standard one and this one. I just vow not to be lazy next time. For presentation sake of course.

Sweet Potato Buttermilk Pie
Printable Recipe

1 9 inch pie crust, prebaked
1 1/2 pounds sweet potatoes (approximately 2 potatoes)
4 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted
2 tablespoons lemon juice
1 teaspoon nutmeg
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon salt
3 eggs, seperated
1/2 cup sugar
2 tablespoons flour
3/4 cup buttermilk
Garnish : whipped cream, nutmeg

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees. Bake the sweet potatoes for 30-40 minutes, until fork tender.  Remove from oven and let cool enough to handle, approximately 15 min.  When potatoes are cooled, cut them open and remove the filling to a bowl.  Using an electric mixer, puree the sweet potatoes until you get a smooth consistency.

Reduce oven to 375 degrees

Place 1 1/4 cup of sweet potato puree into another medium bowl. Save excess for another recipe. Add the butter, lemon juice, nutmeg, cinnamon, and salt to the bowl, mixing after each addition

In a small bowl, lightly whisk the eggs yolks.  Add the sugar and mix until lemon yellow color, 1-2 minutes. Add the egg mixture to the sweet potato mixture and stir until incorporated and the mixture is a bright orange color. Add the flour gradually, mixing after each addition. Add  the buttermilk and stir until it has been incorporated

In a separate bowl, mix the egg whites, using your electric mixer, until soft peeks form, 1-2 minutes. Using a spatula, fold the egg whites into the sweet potato-buttermilk mixture. Stir until fully combined. Pour the mixture into the prepared crust and bake in the middle rack until the filling has set, 35-40 minutes.

Remove the pie from the oven and let cool completely on a wire rack.  Serve at room temperature or cold with a whipped cream and nutmeg.

adapted from ezrapoundcake, originally from lee bros southern cookbook