Sweet potato pie and the tale of two mashers

This is a crime against nature without whipped cream

By Katherine

About a year ago, my parents were down for a visit and we were in a flea market when I eyed something I had to have — a Tupperware potato masher in a shade of green that was at the height of fashion between 1973 and 1979. I grabbed it. Our potato masher had rusted and we’d tossed it a few days before. I took about two steps before a frown crossed my mother’s face. She stared at the implement, then took it in both hands and pulled on it, hard. “Oh, Kathy, I don’t know….” I shrugged and told her it was probably older than I was and appeared to be in fine shape. We walked on down the aisle to find dad, who a moment later was pulling on the masher, frowning. They offered to take me to Bed, Bath and Beyond to no avail. I forked over the $1.95 plus tax and made mashed potatoes that night just to reassure them. About a week later, there was a package in the mail with a letter from my dad.

Here is a present for Greg in case the Tupperware breaks. It has a metal handle like his pans, just not the same shape.

Inside there was a shiny Farberware potato masher. It matches Greg’s pans perfectly.

They both work fine

Sweet potato pie

• 2 medium sweet potatoes (about 1 1/4 pounds)
• 1/2 cup butter (1 stick)
• 3/4 cup brown sugar
• 3/4 cup heavy cream
• 3 large eggs
• 1 tsp vanilla
• 3/4 tsp ground cinnamon
• 1/8 tsp ground cloves
• 1 tbsp brandy
• 1 unbaked 9-inch pie shell

Prick the sweet potatoes with a fork and roast in the oven at 350 until tender, about an hour and 15 minutes. Cool to room temperature and then peel the potatoes, dumping the skins and putting the flesh in a large bowl. Use your good masher to mash the potatoes until smooth. Melt butter and brown sugar in a saucepan over medium heat. Pour mixture over potatoes and stir to incorporate. Whisk eggs and cream together and add all at once to the bowl with the potatoes. Whisk in the remaining ingredients. The filling will be soupy, just like with pumpkin pie. Pour into the unbaked pie shell and place in center rack of oven. Bake until the filling is just set about 40-45 minutes. Transfer to a rack to cool.