Toast pecans in a skillet over medium heat for 3-5 minutes until brown and fragrant. Set aside to cool. Once cooled, ground toasted pecans finely in a food processor fitted with the metal chopping blade.

Switch to the plastic dough blade. Add flour, sugar and salt to the food processor bowl. Pulse to mix. You may need to use a spatula to scrape the pecans off the side and bottom of the bowl.

Add cubed cold butter to the flour mixture, pulse several times until butter is about pea and bean size. Variations in size are okay.

Turn the food processor to “on” position and drizzle cold water over the dough mixture through the water hole, as soon as the dough starts to pull together turn the food processor off. You may need to stop the food processor in between and get a spatula to mix up the flour at the bottom.

Turn the dough out on a working surface lined with a piece of plastic wrap, and shape into a disk. Wrap well and rest in the refrigerator for at least an hour.

Take the disk of pie dough out of the fridge and roll into a circle about 2” larger than your pie dish. Use extra flour to keep the dough from sticking to the counter and roller.

Carefully place the dough over the pie dish, lightly press the dough into the bottom and side of the pie dish, let the excess dough hang over the side. Trim the excess dough leaving just enough to fold under and create a fluted edge.

Cover the pie dish with plastic wrap and keep refrigerated, or freeze (preferred), for 15 - 30 minutes.

Preheat the oven to 425°F.

Remove pie crust from the freezer and dock the bottom and sides of the pie dough with a fork.

Place a large piece of parchment paper over the frozen pie dough, pour dry beans on top to fill the whole pie crust. Make sure the parchment is large enough to cover the edges of the crust entirely.

Place the pie dish on a large baking sheet.

Pierce the sweet potatoes with the tip of a paring knife and wrap them in foil, place them next to the pie dish on the baking sheet.

Place the baking sheet with the pie crust and the sweet potatoes into the oven.

Bake pie crust for 25 minutes with beans, then carefully remove the parchment paper along with the beans and bake for another 5 minutes.

Remove the pie crust from the oven and let it cool on a wire rack.

Meanwhile, continue to bake the sweet potatoes for another 15 - 30 minutes until cooked through. Check the potatoes by piercing it with a paring knife or fork in the thickest part of the potato, if the knife or fork goes through easily, it is done.

Remove the sweet potatoes from the oven and let them cool to the touch on a wire rack.

Once the potatoes are cool enough to peel, preheat the oven to 350°F and make the pie filling.

Peel the potatoes and mash them in a bowl with a potato masher.

In a larger bowl, whisk together softened cream cheese and condensed milk. Beat in the eggs until smooth. Add mashed sweet potato, vanilla and spices and beat until smooth.

Place the pie dish with the par-baked crust on a baking sheet, pour filling into the crust. Cover the edge with a pie shield or thin strips of foil.

Bake for 30-35 minutes until the middle is still slightly jiggly.

Remove from the oven and allow to cool to room temperature. Refrigerate until the filling is completely set, preferably overnight, before slicing.