The JQ List may earn a commission when you buy through links in this article.

In much of the American South, and above all in Black Southern kitchens, the Thanksgiving pie is not pumpkin but sweet potato. Sweet potatoes thrived in Southern soil, and generations of cooks turned them into a pie that is richer, silkier and more deeply flavored than its pumpkin cousin.

Sweet potato pie carries memory and family history; recipes are handed down, guarded and debated, and every family has its own balance of spice. It is a dish of celebration and comfort, and a fixture of holiday tables from the Carolinas to Louisiana and beyond.

A taste of the South

In Charleston and New Orleans, sweet potato pie appears on bakery counters all through the fall. Our New Orleans food scene has more on where to eat in the city.

Roast, do not boil

Roasting the sweet potatoes in their skins concentrates their sweetness and keeps the filling from becoming watery. Browning the butter adds a nutty depth, and pushing the filling through a sieve gives a perfectly smooth custard.

Ingredients

Makes one 9-inch pie.

• 1 unbaked 9-inch pie crust, chilled
• 2 lb (900 g) orange-fleshed sweet potatoes
• 6 tbsp (85 g) unsalted butter
• 3/4 cup (150 g) light brown sugar
• 2 large eggs
• 3/4 cup (180 ml) evaporated milk or heavy cream
• 1 tsp vanilla extract
• 1 tsp ground cinnamon
• 1/2 tsp freshly grated nutmeg
• 1/4 tsp ground ginger
• 1/2 tsp fine salt

Method

1. Roast the sweet potatoes. Heat the oven to 400°F. Roast the sweet potatoes on a lined tray for about 1 hour, until completely soft. Cool, then peel. You need about 2 cups of flesh.
2. Blind bake. Lower the oven to 375°F. Line the crust with parchment and weights and bake for 15 minutes, then remove the weights and bake for 5 minutes more.
3. Brown the butter. Cook the butter in a small pan until it smells nutty and turns golden brown.
4. Make the filling. Blend the sweet potato with the browned butter, sugar, eggs, evaporated milk, vanilla, spices and salt until completely smooth. Push through a sieve for the silkiest texture.
5. Bake. Lower the oven to 350°F. Pour the filling into the crust and bake for 45 to 55 minutes, until the edges are set and the center still wobbles slightly.
6. Cool. Cool completely on a rack before slicing.

How to serve it

At room temperature or chilled, with lightly sweetened whipped cream.

What to pour

Coffee, or a glass of tawny port or bourbon after dinner.

Make a menu of it

Pecan pie follows tomorrow and pumpkin pie on Sunday. For the full meal, see our roast turkey and cornbread dressing, and for pies you can buy, our list of the best holiday pies around Boston and New Hampshire. Every recipe is At the Table.

Photo: Ernesto Andrade, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY 2.0