If you’re looking for a unique and delicious dessert to serve for special occasions, look no further than Hasselback Sweet Potato Pie. This delightful pie features a stunning accordion-style arrangement of sweet potatoes, creating a visually striking and utterly delectable treat.
Accordion Cut Sweet Potatoes
The Hasselback or accordion-style potato gained popularity in the last few years for its unique presentation and versatility. Originating in Sweden in the 1950s, this cutting technique has transcended its side dish origins and found its way into various culinary creations, including the delightful Sweet Potato Hasselback Pie.
Use a Large Spoon to Cut Potatoes
Hasselback potatoes involve making several evenly spaced cuts across a potato without slicing through, creating a visually stunning and flavorful result. In the case of the Sweet Potato Hasselback Pie, this technique adds a creative twist to a classic dessert. Mastering the Hasselback technique can be a bit tricky, but fear not! To achieve those perfect slices, use an extra-large spoon to guide the knife and prevent it from cutting through to the bottom, resulting in beautifully even cuts.
Peeling Potatoes for Hasselback Sweet Potato Pie
Peeling sweet potatoes can present challenges, from tough peels to difficulty slicing. To make it easier, consider using a vegetable peeler instead of a knife for peeling. Additionally, a brief 5-minute boil can help soften the potatoes, making them easier to slice while maintaining their shape.
Assembling the Hasselback Sweet Potato Pie
Fit the Potatoes to the Pie Dish
Use enough sweet potatoes to fill a 10-inch deep-dish pie dish. Cut longer potatoes into halves or thirds to fit the pan, creating a tightly packed dish.
Crust
For the crust, you can opt for ready-made refrigerated pie crusts or make your own. A pre-made crust may need to be rolled out to fit the 10-inch pie pan.
Top Crust
After filling the pie, use the second crust to create a decorative almond-covered ring around the pie, adding an extra layer of flavor and texture. First, cut out a circle from the center of the crust and place it on the pie, cutting off all the edges. Brush the ring with an egg wash and add the almonds to the sticky wash. Then, brush the almonds with the egg wash by gently tapping the wash onto them so they do not move.
Make a Pie Ring for Hasselback Sweet Potato Pie
To prevent over-browning of the almonds and top crust, create a baking ring out of aluminum foil and loosely cover the pie during most of the baking process. The ring can be removed during the last 10 minutes of baking.
Unique Dessert
The resulting Hasselback Sweet Potato Pie offers a delightful contrast of crunchy toasted almonds and tender sweet potato, providing a unique and flavorful dessert experience. While sweet potatoes are often associated with pecans, the unexpected addition of almonds brings a delightful twist to this classic dish.
For an extra indulgent treat, consider serving the Hasselback Sweet Potato Pie with a small scoop of vanilla ice cream, creating a harmonious blend of flavors and textures that will be a hit with your taste buds.
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Hasselback Sweet Potato Pie
Equipment
- 10-inch round deep dish pie dish
- cooking spray
- aluminum foil
- pastry brush
Ingredients
- 5-6 medium sweet potatoes
- 2 pie crusts (prepackaged & refrigerated or your favorite recipe)
- 1 large egg white, beaten plus 1 tablespoon water
- 1 ½ cups granulated sugar
- 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- ¼ cup all-purpose flour
- ⅛ teaspoon salt
- 1 cup half and half (half whole milk and half cream)
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
- ¾ – 1 cup raw almond slivers
- 4 tablespoons butter
Instructions
- Wash the sweet potatoes. Remove the potato skin with a peeler. Place each whole potato into the pie dish. Peel enough potatoes to cover the bottom of the dish. Cut long potatoes in half if necessary to fit them. The dish should be filled with potatoes.
- Once you have enough peeled potatoes, move them to a large stock pan and cover with water. Prop a lid on the pan and boil for 5 minutes.
- Dry the pie dish if necessary. Grease it. Take out 1 pie crust and roll it bigger than the 10-inch dish. Then place it in the dish, letting any extra crust hang over the sides.
- Whisk the egg white and water until foamy. Use a pastry brush to brush the egg mixture onto the bottom and sides of the pie crust. Place the crust into the refrigerator for 15 minutes.
- Remove the boiled potatoes from the heat, drain, and rinse in cold water.
- Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F.
- Place each potato on an extra-large spoon and cut 1/4-inch slices. Stop cutting when the knife hits the sides of the spoon so that you don't cut all the way through. Slide the potatoes off the spoon into the chilled crust, being careful not to break them apart. Arrange them so that they fill the crust.
- Mix the sugar, cinnamon, flour, and salt and sprinkle the mixture evenly over the potatoes.
- In a large measuring cup, add the half and half and vanilla. Stir. Then, pour it over the potatoes, washing some of the sugar from the tops.
- Roll the second pie crust bigger than the pie. Use a small plate (or round parchment template approximately 6-7 inches in diameter) and a knife to cut out a hole in the middle. Place the dough on the pie (centering the hole in the middle) and trim any pastry overhang from the bottom and top crusts. Press to seal the seams. Brush the top crust ring with egg white. Then, completely cover the ring with almond slivers. Brush egg white on the almonds using a tapping motion with the brush so as not to disturb the almonds.
- Cut the butter into pieces and place on the potatoes in the center opening of the pie.
- Make a baking shield for the crust from aluminum foil (leaving the center potatoes uncovered) and loosely place it on top. Bake for 50 minutes. Then, remove the baking shield and bake for an additional 10 minutes.