Sweet Potato Pecan Pies

Supercharge your meals with Australian Sweet Potatoes

Sweet region - Almost all of Australia's sweet potatoes are grown in Queensland, with Bundaberg being the dominant region.
Sweet on you - the longer a sweet potato stays growing underground, the sweeter its flavour will be. So sweet taters that hibernate under the soil in winter turn out sweeter than those that grow rapidly in the heat of summer – who'd have thought!
Slow & steady - Sweet potatoes planted in summer are only in the ground for 5 months, while crops planted in spring or autumn can take up to 10 months until they're harvested!
Chameleon skin - the colour of sweet potato skin changes based on the season it's picked. Sweet potatoes harvested in the summer are pinker while the winter crop appears more pale and aged but is still super tasty.

Selecting, Storing and Preparing

Perfect pick – Look for sweet potatoes with unblemished skin and a pinkish colour. Also, make sure they are firm all over and don't have any soft spots.
Fridge vs. pantry – the debate has finally been settled, but there isn't a winner. Sweet potatoes are happy residing in either the fridge or pantry! They don't like arctic temperatures though, so check the settings on your fridge aren't too low or they'll freeze!
Hey there sprout – Are your spuds growing shoots? Step away from the bin! Just snap any shoots off and cook your sweet taters as normal – sometimes they are actually tastier and sweeter after sprouting!

Tricks and Tips

Sneaky spuds – Sweet potatoes can easily be disguised in a white potato mash. Combine your sweet roots with white potatoes and mash it up all together – even those fussy eaters won't notice the difference!
Boost with butter – Adding a dollop of butter to your sweet potato mash can actually help increase your absorption of Vitamin A.
Spudtacular goodness – Don't peel away the goodness from your sweet taters. Eating the skin lowers your glycemic index and adds valuable nutrients to your meal. Just remember to scrub well before cooking!

Sweet Potato Pecan Pies

Makes: 6
Preparation: 35 minutes
Cooking: 45 minutes

Ingredients

Pastry:
1½ cups (225g) plain flour
2 tablespoons icing sugar
125g cold butter, chopped
1 egg yolk
1-2 tablespoons iced water

Filling:
500g Sweet Potato, peeled, chopped
½ cup (110g) brown sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla bean paste
1 teaspoon cinnamon
½ teaspoon ground ginger
¼ teaspoon nutmeg
1 cup (250ml) pouring cream

2 eggs
½ cup chopped pecans
Whipped cream and maple syrup, to serve

Method

Pastry:

Grease six 10cm loose based fluted tart tins.
Process flour, icing sugar and butter until crumbly. Add egg yolk and enough of the water to make dough come together. Knead dough on floured surface until smooth.
Wrap in plastic and chill for 30 minutes.
Preheat oven to 200 ºC /180 ºC. Meanwhile, steam sweet potato until tender. Cool 10 minutes.
Divide pastry into six portions. Roll out each and line tins.
Chill for 15 minutes. Line pastry with baking paper, fill with dried beans or rice. Bake 10 minutes; remove paper and beans. Bake 5 minutes or until browned lightly.
Reduce oven to 180 ºC/160 ºC.

Filling:

Blend or process sweet potato with sugar, paste, spices, cream and eggs until smooth.
Pour mixture into pastry cases. Sprinkle with pecans.
Bake for 25-30 minutes until set. Cool to room temperature before chilling until firm.
Serve topped with whipped cream and a drizzle of maple syrup.