Sweet Potato Sonker

By Foodiewife

October/November 2011
Why this recipe works:

Sonker is not to be confused with classic pureed sweet potato pie. This deep-dish beauty is chock full of thinly sliced, steamed sweet potatoes coated in a mixture of cider, brown sugar, butter, flour, and warm spices, such as cinnamon and allspice, and is served with a thin, custardlike sauce. We wanted to remain true to sonker’s casserole-style serving size, but soon found that the endeavor would require a quadruple batch of pie crust. We came up with an inventive shaping method that easily transforms ready-made pie dough rounds into a bottom crust and a lattice-style topping.

Ingredients

• 2 (15-ounce) boxes Pillsbury Just Unroll Pie Crust
• 1 large egg, beaten
• 2 cups apple cider
• 4 pounds sweet potatoes, peeled, quartered lengthwise, and sliced 1/4 inch thick
• 1 cup (7 ounces) packed light brown sugar
• 4 tablespoons unsalted butter, softened
• 2 1/2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
• 2 tablespoons lemon juice
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 3/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 1/2 teaspoon ground allspice
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1 tablespoon granulated sugar
• Custard Dip
• 2 cups whole milk
• 1/4 cup (1 3/4 ounces) sugar
• 2 teaspoons cornstarch
• 1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 1/8 teaspoon salt
• 1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract

Details

Servings 12
Adapted from cookscountry.com

Preparation

Step 1

1. FOR THE SONKER: Working on lightly floured counter, unroll 2 dough rounds. Brush half of 1 round with egg and overlap with second round. Roll out dough to 17 by 13-inch rectangle and fit into 13 by 9-inch baking dish. Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate for 30 minutes. Repeat shaping and rolling with remaining 2 dough rounds; reserve beaten egg. Trim dough into rectangle and cut into ten 1-inch strips. Transfer dough strips to parchment-lined rimmed baking sheet, cover with plastic, and refrigerate for 30 minutes.
2. Meanwhile, adjust oven rack to middle position and heat oven to 375 degrees. Bring cider to boil in Dutch oven. Place steamer basket in Dutch oven and fill with sweet potatoes. Reduce heat to medium and cook, covered, until potatoes are nearly tender, 20 to 30 minutes. Remove and reserve sweet potatoes, leaving cider in pot.
3. Cook cider over high heat until reduced to ½ cup, about 5 minutes. Combine drained sweet potatoes, brown sugar, reduced cider, butter, flour, lemon juice, vanilla, ½ teaspoon cinnamon, allspice, and salt in large bowl. Spread out sweet potato mixture on rimmed baking sheet and let cool to room temperature, about 20 minutes.
4. Scrape cooled sweet potato mixture into dough-lined dish and press into even layer. Brush edges of dough with reserved egg. With long side of dish facing you, lay 4 dough strips lengthwise over sweet potato mixture. Weave remaining 6 strips into lattice pattern. Press dough strips into bottom crust and trim excess. Fold dough sides inward under lip of baking dish and crimp with fork.
5. Combine granulated sugar and remaining 1/4 teaspoon cinnamon in bowl. Brush dough with reserved egg and sprinkle with cinnamon sugar. Cover with aluminum foil and bake for 15 minutes. Uncover and bake until deep golden brown, 55 to 60 minutes, rotating dish halfway through baking. Let sonker cool on wire rack for at least 1 1/2 hours before serving. (Sonker can be refrigerated, covered, for up to 1 day. Bring to room temperature before serving.)

6. FOR THE CUSTARD DIP: Meanwhile, bring milk, sugar, cornstarch, cinnamon, and salt to simmer in medium saucepan over medium heat. Reduce heat to medium-low and cook, whisking frequently, until slightly thickened, about 15 minutes. Off heat, add vanilla. Transfer to bowl and let cool to room temperature, about 30 minutes. Serve with sonker.

Rounds Into Rectangles

It takes a big sheet of pie dough to line a 13 by 9-inch baking dish. We make it easy by using store-bought pie crust. Take two rounds, overlap them by half, bind with beaten egg, and roll into a rectangle. Repeat, cutting the second rectangle into strips for the sonker's lattice top.

1. Brush the overlap area with beaten egg.

2. Place one dough round on top of the other. Roll the two rounds into a single 17 by 13-inch rectange.

How to Wave a Lattice

1. Evenly lay four dough strips over the filled sonker parallel to the long side of the dish. The strips will be longer than the dish.

2. Fold the first and third strips back and lay a perpendicular strip across the other two. Unfold the folded strips to cover the perpendicular one.

3. Continue adding perpendicular strips, alternating between folding and unfoldingt he first and third and the second and fourth strips.