Cooking Bajan Style: Sweet Potato Pie

Sweet Potatoes are tuberous root vegetables belonging to the Morning Glory family and were first discovered in Peru around 8000 BC.  Since sweet potatoes thrive in tropical and subtropical  moist climates, Barbados is a known home for them. As a result, sweet potatoes have grown greatly in popularity among locals, who now consider it one of their staples. Their rich creamy taste and texture make sweet potatoes a very "hard to resist" dish at the dinner or lunch table. Sweet Potatoes can be cooked many ways including fried, pickled, candied etc. But their most famous method of cooking in Barbados is sweet potato pie. See below for the great recipe!

SWEET POTATO PIE
  

3 lbs white-flesh sweet potatoes,peeled, boiled and mashed

1 cup crushed pineapple, drained 

2 Tbsp salted butter, room temperature 

1 Tbsp chopped sage (optional)

1/2 tsp ground cinnamon 

1/4 tsp grated nutmeg 

Salt and pepper to taste 

5 - 6 slices pineapple rings (optional) 

5 - 6 stemmed maraschino cherries (optional) 

1 Tbsp melted butter (unsalted)

 

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F

Combine mashed sweet potatoes, crushed pineapple, room temperature butter, sage, cinnamon, nutmeg, salt and pepper to taste. Mix thoroughly. Transfer mixture to a greased 8 x 8-inch casserole dish. Arrange pineapple slices on top of mixture and place a cherry in the center of each pineapple ring. Brush the entire top of the pie with the melted butter and bake for 40 minutes or until golden brown.Let pie cool until warm or room temperature before serving.

Enjoy and let us know how it turns out!

 

Melanie & Kimberly*

Image: Honey and Jam