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1
In a 3-quart stainless steel saucier, combine sweet potatoes, empty vanilla pod, cinnamon sticks, whole nutmeg, milk, cream, and sugar. If you have a scale, write down the weight of the saucier and combined ingredients so you can precisely measure the reduction.
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2
Bring to a boil over high heat, then adjust to medium-low and maintain a gentle simmer (higher heat may cause the milk to curdle). Scrape frequently with a flexible spatula to prevent milk solids from building up around the side, and simmer until sweet potatoes are fall-apart tender and dairy has condensed into a thick sauce, about 55 minutes. The saucier should weigh 19 ounces (535g) less than when you started. (Alternatively, total volume, including cooked sweet potato, should be 3 2/3 cups when finished.)
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3
Adjust oven rack to lower-middle position and preheat to 350u00b0F (177u00b0C). Remove vanilla bean and spices from saucier and puree sweet potato and dairy mixture with an immersion blender until smooth. (If needed, transfer to a smaller container to avoid splashing.) Whisk in ground cinnamon, grated nutmeg, salt, and vanilla, followed by eggs. If you like, strain through a fine-mesh strainer before pouring into prepared pie crust.
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4
Bake pie until gently set in the middle (with an internal temperature of 195u00b0F or 91u00b0C), about 40 minutes. Cool at least 20 minutes before slicing with a chef's knife, pausing to wipe the blade clean as needed. If desired, serve with dollops of Brown Sugar Whipped Cream. Wrapped in plastic, sweet potato pie will keep up to 3 days at cool room temperature.
