MMMMM----- Recipe via Meal-Master (tm) v8.06

Title: L. Cromwell's Potato Pie
Categories: Dinner, Pies
Yield: 1 Pie

1 1/2 lb Sweet potatoes OR "Irish
-potatoes" (we used baby
-gold potatoes)
3 oz Dates; chopped
2 lg Marrow bones
1 ts Cinnamon
1/2 ts Nutmeg
1/2 ts Ground mace; or a sprinkling
-of blade mace
Salt and pepper
3/4 c Unsalted butter; +2 tb;
-melted
1/4 c Sherry
Double pie crust; your
-favorite

The day before cooking, place your marrow bones in a large bowl and
cover them with cold water, along with 2 tb of salt. Brine them in
this manner for 12-24 hours, changing the salt and water mixture 3-4
times, until all the blood is drawn out.

When you are ready to start baking, heat the oven to 425°F.

Prepare the filling: stand the marrow bones up on their end on a pan
with a lip, maybe covered in nonstick foil or parchment paper for
easy cleanup later. Sprinkle some salt onto the ends and put into the
oven at 425°F for 15-20 minutes--depending on the thickness of your
bones, they may need longer.

While your bones are roasting and then cooling, peel the potatoes and
then boil them until they are fork tender. Add the chopped dates,
spices, and a little salt and pepper to taste. Blend in 3/4 cup of
unsalted butter. Once the bones are cool enough to handle, use a
butter or table knife to remove the marrow. If the marrow is still
pink, throw it back in the oven for 2-3 minutes. Once cooked, combine
it with the potato mixture. Prepare your pie tin by greasing and
flouring the sides with butter, shortening, or cooking spray.

Once the filling is ready, make your crust. Lay the first crust in
your pie tin or plate, fill it with the potato mixture, and cover it
with your second crust. Make sure you cut at least one vent in the
top crust of your pie--you will need it to add the sherry and butter
once the pie comes out of the oven.

Bake your pie for 45-50 minutes or according to your crust recipe's
instructions. Remove it from the oven and let it sit for 5-10
minutes, then carefully pour in the sherry and melted butter a little
at a time, giving the pie filling time to absorb the liquid. Let it
sit for at least an hour, then unmold if using a hot water crust, or
cut yourself a slice.

If bone marrow is too complicated or experimental for you, you could
easily substitute the marrow for pork belly or another variety of
fatty, roasted meat. We also tried throwing in 2 apples, enjoying the
sweetness they brought to the dish. It might also benefit from some
fresh herbs like thyme or sage. Although we were suspicious of how
this pie would taste, it was actually delicious--the fat of the
marrow and butter was nicely balanced by the sherry's sharpness and
the taste of the cinnamon and nutmeg. A great celebration pie.

Modern recipes have changed a bit to appeal to modern palates--now,
potato pies get their richness and sweetness from sweetened condensed
milk instead of marrow and dates, but the cinnamon-nutmeg flavor
profile remains unchanged. White potato pies in Maryland, like many
early modern English potato pies, include other flavors such as lemon
in addition to butter and white wine.

Recipe by Elizabeth DeBold

Recipe FROM: <https://www.folger.edu/blogs/shakespeare-and-beyond/
recipe-17th-century-potato-pie-marrow-dates/>

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