Holiday Tradition: White Potato Pie

As the holidays draw nigh, thoughts abound of family dinners with loved ones. Tradition has it that we have the proverbial Thanksgiving turkey and Christmas ham with all the trimmings. And of course, let’s not forget dessert – the pumpkin, sweet potato or pecan pie. Interested in trying something new? This treat stems from East coast colonial Maryland and graces many a table as an alternate to the three pies mentioned above. Try it. Who knows, it may become a tradition in your family.

Pie Filling

• 2 medium (2-1/4″ to 3″ dia, raw) potatoes – peeled, boiled and mashed to make 1 3/4 cup puree
• 3/4 cup (180ml) Coconut Milk
• 1 cup (200g) Coconut Sugar
• 1/4 cup (32g) Cornstarch
• 1 tsp Vanilla
• 1/2 tsp Salt
• 1 tsp Cinnamon
• 1/2 tsp Nutmeg
• 1/4 tsp Ground Cloves
• 1/4 tsp Ground Ginger
• 1 Unbaked Vegan Pie Crust (see recipe)

Directions

Preheat the oven to 350°F (180°C).

Add the white potato purée, coconut milk, brown sugar, cornstarch, vanilla extract, salt, cinnamon, nutmeg, ground cloves and ground ginger to your blender jug and blend until smooth. It will be quite thick, so be patient with your blender. Stop and give it a shake or stir from time to time and then blend again.

Pour this out over the top of an unbaked 9-inch vegan pie crust (either store-bought or homemade) in a 9-inch pie dish and smooth down.

Bake for 60 minutes. Tent it with foil* at the 40 minute mark to prevent over-browning and then put it back in for the remaining 20 minutes.

Allow to cool on the counter for at least 2 hours before slicing and serving. It’s even better if you let it chill even more in the fridge after cooling on the counter. The more chilled it is the better it will slice.

Serve with vegan whipped cream (see recipe) and some chopped pecans for decoration.

Vegan Pie Crust

• 1 cup + 2 Tbsp (145g) All Purpose Flour
• 1/4 cup (55g) Coconut Oil (solid)
• 1/2 tsp Salt
• 1 Tbsp Sugar
• 3–4 Tbsp Ice Water

Directions

Place the flour, sugar and salt into the food processor and pulse to combine.

Add the coconut oil (must be solid, not melted) and pulse until the mixture is crumbly.

Add 3 Tbsp ice water and pulse to combine. It should look like a dough now and if you break off a piece and roll it in your hands it should easily roll into a ball. If it doesn’t then add the remaining Tbsp of ice water and pulse to combine once again.

Remove the dough from the food processor and transfer to a floured surface.

Roll the dough into a big round ball.

Using a rolling pin roll it out from side to side into a a giant round that can fit over your pie dish.

Carefully lift it up and place it over your pie dish, tucking it in along the sides of the pie dish to fit properly.

Take a scissors and trim off any excess dough.

Place your pie crust into the fridge while you prepare your pie filling.

Vegan Whipped Cream

• 1 14oz (400ml) can Coconut Cream
• 3 Tbsp Powdered Sugar 
• 1 tsp Vanilla Extract

Directions

Place the can of coconut cream into the coldest part of your refrigerator and leave it there overnight.

The next day, take it out and carefully open it (don’t shake it around!).

You’ll see that the cream part has separated from the water and risen to the top.

Scoop that out into the bowl of an electric mixer, leaving the water behind. You can use the water in a smoothie or throw it out.

Starting at slow speed gradually increase speed until you achieve a whipped cream consistency.

The harder the consistency of the cream when you scoop it out, the quicker this will be.

Once you have whipped cream consistency, you can stop right there. You’re done! OR:

Add some powdered sugar and vanilla for a sweetened cream.

Whisk again until mixed in.