Sweet Potato Pie with Pecan Topping

Blind Bake the Pie Dough

1. Roll the dough out to a 12 to 13-inch diameter. Gently roll the dough onto your rolling pin and then roll out over a 9-inch pie dish. Gently press the dough against the side of the dish. Place in the freezer for 15 minutes.
2. Trim away excess dough that hangs over the dish. Use your fingers to flute the edge of the dough, if desired.
3. Preheat oven to 375°F.
4. Remove the dish from the freezer and puncture the dough all over with a fork. Add a layer of parchment paper or foil over the dough. Add pie weights, dried beans, short-grain rice, or pennies on top of the parchment or foil. Bake for 20 minutes.
5. Remove the dish from the oven and carefully remove the parchment or foil with the weights. Place the dish back into the oven for another 15 minutes, or until lightly golden all over. Remove from oven and allow to completely cool. This can be done hours in advance.

Make the Filling

1. Preheat oven to 350°F.
2. Pierce each sweet potato a few times all over with a fork.
3. Place the sweet potatoes directly on the center rack of the oven and place a baking sheet on the rack beneath them (the sweet potatoes will seep a little as they roast).
4. Remove the potatoes from the oven and allow them to cool enough to handle.
5. Pull the skin from the roasted sweet potatoes and add them to a large bowl. Pour the melted butter over them and use a masher to work the butter into the potatoes. Do this for about 1 minute. This will help to smooth the sweet potatoes, too.
6. Add the brown sugar, heavy cream, eggs, spices, and vanilla to the bowl. Use a hand mixer to mix the ingredients together. Mix for about 1 minute until fully combined and smooth (there will still be some small bumps from the sweet potatoes, this is good).
7. Transfer the filling into the prepared pie crust.

Make the Pecan Topping and Finish the Pie

1. In a medium-sized bowl, add the brown sugar, flour, and pecans. Pour the melted butter into the bowl and use a fork to mix until fully combined.
2. Add the pecan mixture to the top of the filling. Bake at 350°F for 45 minutes, adding foil along the sides of the crust to prevent them from getting too brown.
3. Remove from the oven and allow to sit for at least 2 hours. The filling will continue to set during this time. Chill after the 2 hours.