The Best Sweet Potato Pie

Directions

• In a small bowl, mix egg yolk with 1/4 cup ice water; set aside. Place flour, sugar and salt in a food processor; pulse until blended. Add shortening and butter; pulse until shortening and butter are the size of peas. While pulsing, add egg yolk mixture. Add just enough of remaining ice water to form moist crumbs. Divide dough in half. Shape each into a disk; wrap and refrigerate 1 hour or overnight.
• Preheat oven to 400°. Scrub sweet potatoes; place in a 13x9-in. baking pan with 1-1/2 cups water. Bake until tender, 45-50 minutes. Meanwhile, on a lightly floured surface, roll 1 disk of dough to a 1/8-in.-thick circle; transfer to a 9-in. deep-dish pie plate. Trim pastry to 1/2 in. beyond rim of plate; flute edge. Roll remaining disk to 1/8-in. thickness; cut into desired shapes with floured 1-in. cookie cutters. Place on a parchment-lined baking sheet. Refrigerate crust and cutouts for at least 30 minutes.
• Peel potatoes when they are cool enough to handle; place in a food processor. Pulse to coarsely mash. Add brown sugar and the next 8 ingredients; blend until smooth. Pour filling into chilled crust. Bake on lowest oven rack 15 minutes. Reduce oven setting to 350°; bake until center is just set, 20-25 minutes. Bake pastry cutouts on an upper oven rack until golden brown, 10-12 minutes. Cool on a wire rack; decorate pie with cutouts and toppings as desired.