Bake sweet potatoes until tender, peel and mash. Make sure all lumps are removed, straining if necessary.
Lightly beat eggs. Blend together eggs and sweet potatoes. Stir in sugar, salt, cinnamon, ginger, and cloves. Blend in cream. Pour into pie shell.
Bake in preheated oven at 400 degrees F (205 degrees C) 45-55 minutes or until knife inserted halfway between center and edge of pie comes out clean. Cool completely on rack.
To make Caramelized Pecan Topping: Combine butter or margarine, brown sugar, and pecans. Gently drop by spoonfuls over cooled pie to cover top. Broil 5 inches below heat until mixture begins to bubble, about 3 minutes. Watch carefully, if cooked too long, top will turn syrupy. Cool on rack.
