Beet and Sweet Potato Pie

"Everyone serves sweet potato and pumpkin pies for the holidays, and trust me, I love both. But never one to serve something everyone else is serving, I decided to do a mash-up recipe. I substituted a cup of roasted, mashed beets into my existing recipe inspired by Tricia Yearwood. It especially tastes great with a cup of coffee served in my Mayo (opposite page bottom right) and Miss Maxie (top left) handmade mugs. (Thanks Michele and Cindy!) The beets provide an earthy, almost floral flavor with a hint of sweetness, which brings a tad of umami to the dish." ~ Jamie Parrish, Raised Southern

Ingredients

1 cup pureed oven-roasted sweet potatoes 1 cup pureed oven-roasted beets ¾ cup sugar 2 large eggs 4 tablespoons (½ stick) butter, softened ¾ cup milk 1 tablespoon vanilla extract ¼ teaspoon ground cinnamon ¼ teaspoon ground nutmeg Pinch of salt 1 unbaked 9-inch pie shell, homemade or store bought Whipped cream, for garnish Chopped pistachios, for garnish Orange zest, for garnish

Method

Preheat the oven to 400˚F.

Wash the beets and potatoes thoroughly, and then towel-dry them. Rub them with the olive oil, wrap in foil, and bake for 1 hour. Remove and let cool. Using a spoon, scoop out the insides of the beets and potatoes, and then mash them with fork or potato masher. (I keep mine separate till the end so I know I am getting a cup of each.)

Reduce oven temperature to 300˚F.

In the bowl of an electric mixer, combine the sweet potatoes, beets, sugar, as well as the eggs, butter, milk, vanilla extract, cinnamon, and salt. Beat until thoroughly blended and smooth. Pour the mixture into the pie shell.

Bake until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean, about 80 minutes. Cool before serving.

Garnish with whipped cream, chopped pistachios, and orange zest.

Note: The leaves were made from leftover pie crust. I got the cutters to make the shape from Williams Sonoma online.

Mr. Mayo and Miss Maxie

Photo by Morgan Rhodes.