Baked Potatoes. — No Potato cooked at home is equal to one bought at a London Potato stall, and carried off surrep- titiously in a muff. The secret of the salesman is that he spares neither time or patience in baking his Potatoes. To imitate his success choose large Potatoes ; those sold as “ Melters ” are the best. Wash them as little as possible. Put them in their jackets into a Dutch oven, and leave them there for two hours✪ Baked Potatoes, turning them now and then. When the jacket just opens to show the floury waistcoat the Potato is done, and it must be served at once. Some “ Melters ” only need an hour and a half in the Dutch oven, but they must be watched, turned, and tried with a skewer. In those restaurants which pride themselves on their Baked Potatoes, the waiter contrives by one dexterous squeeze of his napkin to turn out the whitest of Baked Potatoes 3°4 POTATOES upon the hottest of plates. Pepper, salt, and pats of fresh butter should be handed with Baked Potatoes. Baked Potatoes must be baked only. It is an absurdity to boil them first and then to bake them. The best “ Melters ” are Regents, Magnum Bonums, and Saxons. Broiled Potatoes✪ Broiled Potatoes. — When Potatoes are thoroughly boiled, take off the skins, lay them on a gridiron over a clear fire, and turn them till they are thoroughly brown all over. Mashed Potatoes. — It is not difficult to mash Potatoes, but it is seldom indeed that they are properly done. So many nice dishes can be made from good Mashed Potatoes that it is important to cook them carefully. Waxy Potatoes never can be good when mashed, so that floury mealy Potatoes must be used. And they must be dry when they are mashed. Another secret is that the milk or stock used in mashing must be boiling hot. Cold milk added to the hot dry Potatoes makes them heavy. The Potatoes should be boiled in their skins, and they must not be allowed to boil till they crumble. When the Potatoes are done take them out of the saucepan, peel off the skins, drain off every drop of water, and put the Potatoes back into the hot dry saucepan, allowing half an ounce of butter to every three Potatoes of ordinary size. Break the Potatoes up with a two-pronged steel fork, add pepper and salt, and moisten them with a tablespoonful of boiling milk✪ Mashed Potatoes to every three Potatoes. Mash them with a large plated fork, being most careful to mash them towards you. This ensures their being light, but if you press the Potatoes down into the saucepan from you they will certainly be heavy. When they have been thoroughly mashed the Potatoes ought to be quite white. They should then be set for a moment over the fire to get thoroughly hot. Some people brown the Potatoes by setting them in the oven for a minute, but this is apt to harden them, and they will not be so light. Serve straight from the fire in a very hot uncovered dish. French Mashed Potatoes. — The French method is to make a puree of the Potatoes, and not to mash them at all. They are sent up like very thick custard, not stiff like English mashed Potatoes. When the Potatoes are done, take them out of the saucepan, drain it quite dry, and rub it all over with a FRENCH MASHED POTATOES 3°5 shallot. (French people rub the saucepan lightly with garlic.)

AI-modernized reading of the original text

Baked Potatoes. — No Potato cooked at home is equal to one bought at a London Potato stall, and carried off surreptitiously in a muff. The secret of the salesman is that he spares neither time or patience in baking his Potatoes. To imitate his success choose large Potatoes ; those sold as “ Melters ” are the best. Wash them as little as possible. Put them in their jackets into a Dutch oven, and leave them there for two hours, turning them now and then. When the jacket just opens to show the floury waistcoat the Potato is done, and it must be served at once. Some “ Melters ” only need an hour and a half in the Dutch oven, but they must be watched, turned, and tried with a skewer. In those restaurants which pride themselves on their Baked Potatoes, the waiter contrives by one dexterous squeeze of his napkin to turn out the whitest of Baked Potatoes 3°4 upon the hottest of plates. Pepper, salt, and pats of fresh butter should be handed with Baked Potatoes. Baked Potatoes must be baked only. It is an absurdity to boil them first and then to bake them. The best “ Melters ” are Regents, Magnum Bonums, and Saxons. Broiled Potatoes. — When Potatoes are thoroughly boiled, take off the skins, lay them on a gridiron over a clear fire, and turn them till they are thoroughly brown all over. Mashed Potatoes. — It is not difficult to mash Potatoes, but it is seldom indeed that they are properly done. So many nice dishes can be made from good Mashed Potatoes that it is important to cook them carefully. Waxy Potatoes never can be good when mashed, so that floury mealy Potatoes must be used. And they must be dry when they are mashed. Another secret is that the milk or stock used in mashing must be boiling hot. Cold milk added to the hot dry Potatoes makes them heavy. The Potatoes should be boiled in their skins, and they must not be allowed to boil till they crumble. When the Potatoes are done take them out of the saucepan, peel off the skins, drain off every drop of water, and put the Potatoes back into the hot dry saucepan, allowing half an ounce of butter to every three Potatoes of ordinary size. Break the Potatoes up with a two-pronged steel fork, add pepper and salt, and moisten them with a tablespoonful of boiling milk to every three Potatoes. Mash them with a large plated fork, being most careful to mash them towards you. This ensures their being light, but if you press the Potatoes down into the saucepan from you they will certainly be heavy. When they have been thoroughly mashed the Potatoes ought to be quite white. They should then be set for a moment over the fire to get thoroughly hot. Some people brown the Potatoes by setting them in the oven for a minute, but this is apt to harden them, and they will not be so light. Serve straight from the fire in a very hot uncovered dish. French Mashed Potatoes. — The French method is to make a puree of the Potatoes, and not to mash them at all. They are sent up like very thick custard, not stiff like English mashed Potatoes. When the Potatoes are done, take them out of the saucepan, drain it quite dry, and rub it all over with a FRENCH MASHED POTATOES 3°5 shallot. (French people rub the saucepan lightly with garlic.)

Records on this page

Baked PotatoesBroiled PotatoesMashed PotatoesFrench Mashed Potatoes

Mrs. Roundell's Practical cookery book