How to Make Sweet Potato Pie using Yams

Yams are a great alternative to potatoes for making sweet potato pie, as yams are naturally sweeter.  This delicious recipe will show you how it's done.  Firstly thoroughly scrub off any dirt from 3 medium sized yams under a running tap.  Clean them really well - it's OK if you remove some of the skin in the process of scrubbing.

Stab your yams with a fork a few times to make them easy to cook, then slice them in half, leaving the skins on. Place your yam halves in a pot, cover them completely in water and boil for an hour to an hour and a half.  

Whilst your yams are cooking, line a 9 inch diameter heatproof bowl with pie pastry, with the flower side of the pastry facing upwards.  Then take a second layer of pie pastry and place it flower side down on top of the first layer.  This way you'll ensure that there is less chance of the pie being soggy on the bottom.

Once the yams have cooked, discard the water they had been boiling in and remove them from their skins.  Be careful as they'll be hot.  One way of removing the skins is to place the yams in your fridge for a few minutes after they finished boiling.  Then on removing them from the fridge they should be at a reasonable temperature to allows you to remove the skins safely.  You should be able to squeeze and slide the yams out from the skins without having to resort to a knife.  

Mash the skinless yams in a bowl and add about 3 tablespoons of sugar and a small sprinkling of cinnamon.  To give your mixture a little bit of body, add a teaspoon of full cream.  Mix this all together and pour your mixture into the pastry in the heatproof bowl.

Spread the mixture out evenly, allowing for the fact that the it will rise about half an inch during cooking.  Flute the edges of the pie pastry to stop the mixture from running over the side during the cooking process, and to give a nice look to the pie once it has cooked.  Place your pie in the oven at 400 degrees Fahrenheit or 205 degrees Celsius for an hour.  After the hour is up, check to see if it is done - if not, leave it baking for another 15 minutes for a perfect sweet potato yam pie.