Tess's Sunday Sweet Potato Pie

Ingredients:

2 cups (1 lb.) sweet potatoes
1/2 cup (1 stick) butter
2 cups sugar
1/4 teaspoon salt, optional
1/2 to 1 teaspoon nutmeg
1/4 teaspoon ginger
3 eggs, well-beaten
1 cup half-and-half milk
1 Tablespoon vanilla (or brandy)
1 Tablespoon lemon juice (needed to preserve coloring)
2 8-inch refrigerated pie shells

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Bake sweet potatoes on a baking sheet or a piece of foil for one hour, or until syrup starts to run out of them. Peel and mash the potatoes.

2. Increase oven heat to 375 degrees.

3. In a large bowl, beat the butter, sugar, salt, nutmeg and ginger at medium speed. Beat in the sweet potatoes until creamy. Beat in the eggs. Beat in the half-and-half milk, vanilla and lemon juice, separately and slowly.

4. Spoon the mixture into two unbaked pie shells.

5. Bake at 375 degrees for one hour, or until a knife inserted in the center comes out clean.