Mother and Pat's Sweet Potato Pie and Mrs. Williams Sweet Potato Casserole

My daddy loved sweet potatoes. Our house was heated by a large oil stove, and he used to put potatoes in a pie pan and put it on the edge of the stove to cook slowly. A warm sweet potato, eaten out of hand, with no seasoning was his favorite after work snack.

My favorite way to eat sweet potatoes is in pie, or in a modified version of Mrs. Williams’ sweet potato casserole. Del prefers them baked whole and served with a butter, cinnamon and nutmeg mixture.
I use the same recipe for sweet potato pie used by Mother and my sister -in-law, Pat Robinson, and it is delicious. Unlike most sweet potato pie recipes, it does not have lemon flavoring or pumpkin pie type spices. It only has vanilla extract, and that lets the flavor of the sweet potato shine through. I always bake the potatoes when cooking them for recipes so they won’t absorb water, but I guess you could also microwave or steam them.
I wish that I also shared Mother’s and Pat’s neat cooking habits. Either could cook for a crowd and the kitchen would look as though no one had lifted a spoon in there. I, on the other hand, am a messy cook. Mother used to say of my kitchen that it looked like the devil had a fit in there because I didn’t wash up as I went. She never had a dishwasher and always kept a sink full of hot soapy water at the ready the whole time she was cooking. I remember reaching for the stirring spoon or spatula or tongs I was using only to discover that she had washed it.

Sweet Potato Pie Recipe:

1 ¼ cups cooked and mashed sweet potatoes
¾ cup sugar
2 eggs, lightly beaten
1 tsp. pure vanilla extract
1 cup evaporated milk
1 Tbsp. melted margarine
Mix all ingredients, stirring well after each addition. Pour into unbaked pie shell. Bake at 425 degrees for 20 minutes. Reduce heat to 300 degrees and bake for 30 minutes. A knife inserted near center of pie should come out clean.


Mrs. Williams Sweet Potato Casserole Recipe (slightly modified)

Casserole Ingredients:

3 cups cooked and mashed sweet potatoes
1 cup sugar
¼ cup butter, melted
2 large eggs, well beaten , or egg substitute
1 ½ tsp. pure vanilla extract
½ cup milk

Topping Ingredients:

½ cup light brown sugar
¼ cup flour
2 ½ T butter, melted
½ cup chopped pecans

Mix all casserole ingredients and pour into sprayed 2 quart casserole dish. Mix topping ingredients and sprinkle evenly over casserole. Bake at 350 degrees for 25-30 minutes. Knife inserted near center will come out clean.

Note: My recipe eliminates ¼ cup butter, but you can put it back if you prefer. You can also add cinnamon and nutmeg if you like.