1 Bake the sweet potatoes: Preheat the oven to 350°F. Wrap Stokes Purple® sweet potatoes in aluminum foil and place on a small baking sheet.

Bake for 1 1/2 to 2 hours, until very soft when pierced with a fork. Remove from the oven and allow to cool completely while still wrapped in foil, about 2 hours. Once cool, place in refrigerator overnight.

2 Blind bake the crust: For store-bought crusts, follow instructions on package. For homemade, once you’ve rolled and crimped your crust, place it in the freezer and freeze for 30 for 60 minutes.

When the crust is almost done freezing, preheat the oven to 350°F. Line the frozen crust with foil and pie weights or beans.

Bake for 45 to 50 minutes, until light golden in color and dry to the touch (check by lifting a corner of the foil and looking beneath). Remove the pie weights and set aside.

3 Make the filling: Gently peel away the skins from the refrigerated sweet potatoes and discard. Roughly chop the sweet potatoes.

In the bowl of a food processor or high-powered blender, combine the baked sweet potatoes, sugar, heavy cream, milk, butter, eggs, vanilla, cinnamon, nutmeg, ginger and salt. Blend until smooth.

The mixture should be the consistency of pourable pudding. If it’s not pourable and too thick, add 1 to 2 tablespoons additional milk at a time until you reach the desired consistency.

4 Bake the pie: Increase the oven temperature to 425°F. Pour the filling into the prepared pie crust. Smooth out the top with a spatula.

Bake for 15 minutes. Decrease oven temperature to 350°F and bake an additional 25 minutes, or until filling is set and crust is golden brown (the pie will continue to firm up as it cools).

5 Cool: Remove pie from the oven and allow to cool on wire rack for at least 3 hours before slicing. (At this point, the pie can be served, or refrigerated overnight. If refrigerated, allow the pie to come to room temperature before serving.)

6 When ready to serve, make the maple whipped cream: Pour the cream, maple syrup, and salt into the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the whisk attachment (or feel free to use hand mixers and a mixing bowl). Beat on high until soft peaks form, about 1 minute.

7 Serve: Slice the pie and serve with a scoop of whipped cream and a sprinkle pecan pieces on top.

Store pie in the refrigerator for up to 3 days; whipped cream is best enjoyed the same day it’s made.