Sweet potato and pecan pie

For the pastry : combine the flour, salt and sugar in a mixing bowl and using 2 knives in a scissor action cut the butter into the flour until it forms coarse crumbs. Add the water a tablespoon at a time, mixing it with the knives until it forms a soft dough bringing it together with your hands. Gently shape the dough into a smooth ball and flatten it before wrapping in cling film and chilling for 30 minutes 2. For the pie filling : preheat the oven to 180C/gas mark 4.

Put the sweet potatoes in their skins in a pan of water and bring to the boil, simmer until they are soft but not falling apart. Remove from the water with a slotted spoon and as soon as they are cool enough to handle peel off the skins and put the flesh in a large bowl.

Add the butter and sugar and mix together with an electric mixer or potato masher until smooth. Add the condensed milk, eggs, cinnamon, nutmeg, vanilla and lemon juice and beat again until smooth.

Roll out the pastry to a thin circle, large enough to line a 23 cm flan tin, line the tin with the pastry, trim the edges and pinch them at the top to flute them.

Spoon the filling into the pastry case, smooth down the surface and top with the pecans. Bake in the oven for 45 minutes - 1 hour until the filling is firm and golden brown.

Leave to cool slightly on a wire rack, before carefully removing from the flan tin and serving warm or cold with ice cream.