The Golden Age Cook Book Part 7

Never salt vegetables until they are nearly cooked; it hardens them.

The water vegetables are boiled in may be utilized in making sauces and soups; the best of the vegetables goes into it.

The water Jerusalem artichokes are boiled in becomes quite a thick jelly when cold, and makes an excellent foundation for sauces.

TO BOIL POTATOES.

Select potatoes of uniform size, wash and pare thinly, cover with boiling water and cook half an hour; when nearly done add salt. As soon as done drain from the water and set the saucepan where the potatoes can steam for a few minutes. They should be served immediately, and never allowed to remain in the water a moment after they are cooked. Potatoes are much better steamed with their skins on than boiled, as they then retain all the potashes. When they are old they should be washed, pared and covered with cold water, and allowed to stand for several hours before either boiling or frying.

POTATOES BAKED.

Select them of uniform size, wash and scrub well, cut a thin slice from each end to prevent their being soggy. They require nearly an hour to bake in a moderate oven.

TO MASH POTATOES.

Boil the potatoes carefully, drain from the water, mash fine, and to four good-sized potatoes add a heaping tablespoonful of b.u.t.ter, a tablespoonful or two of cream or rich milk and salt and pepper to taste.

Serve at once. They must be freshly mashed and very hot to be eatable.

The mashed potatoes maybe squeezed through a vegetable ricer, when they are called Potatoes a la Neige.

NEW POTATOES WITH CREAM SAUCE.

Select rather small potatoes of uniform size and boil. When done drain off the water, set them back on the stove to keep hot while making a cream sauce, then put them carefully in a vegetable dish, pour the sauce over them and sprinkle with a little finely minced parsley.

BROILED POTATOES.

Take some cold boiled potatoes and cut them in rather thick slices lengthwise, dust with white pepper and salt, dip each slice in melted b.u.t.ter, broil over a clear fire until a nice brown. Serve with melted b.u.t.ter and finely minced parsley poured over them.

POTATOES a LA CReME AU GRATIN.

Chop cold boiled potatoes, put them in a baking dish, pour over them a cupful of white sauce nicely seasoned, sprinkle with a tablespoonful of grated Parmesan cheese or Edam cheese grated, one tablespoonful of bread crumbs, and dot all over with tiny bits of b.u.t.ter. Put in a quick oven for a few minutes to brown. Do not leave it in too long, or it will become dry.

STUFFED POTATOES.

Bake some medium-sized potatoes; when done cut in half lengthwise, scoop out the inside, taking care not to break the skin. Mash the potato smooth and fine with b.u.t.ter and a little milk, season with salt and pepper to taste, heat thoroughly, fill the skins, brush the tops over with melted b.u.t.ter, brown in the oven and serve.

POTATO FRICa.s.sEE.

Put in a spider a generous tablespoonful of b.u.t.ter and a cup of milk, when hot add some cold potatoes cut in dice, season with pepper, salt, a few drops of onion juice. Let them get thoroughly hot, then add the beaten yolks of two eggs, stir constantly until thick. Great care must be taken not to let it cook too long, or the sauce will curdle. Pour into a vegetable dish, sprinkle a little finely minced parsley over the top and serve.

POTATOES a LA d.u.c.h.eSSE.

Take cold mashed potatoes that are nicely seasoned with salt and pepper, form into little round cakes, put them on a tin, glaze over with beaten egg and brown in the oven. Arrange on a platter, garnish with parsley and serve.

SARATOGA CHIPS.

Peel some medium-sized white potatoes, and slice them very thin. It is better to have a potato slicer for these, if possible, as it cuts them so quickly and perfectly. Wash the potatoes in one or two waters, then cover with fresh water and lay a lump of ice on the top of them. Let them stand an hour, if convenient, drain in a colander, wipe dry with a towel, and fry in boiling fat--not too many at a time in the basket or they will stick together, and will not brown. Have a quick fire, and fry until brown and crisp, drain on paper, sprinkle with salt and serve.

FRENCH FRIED POTATOES.

Peel some potatoes and cut in finger lengths, not too thick, cover with ice water, and if they are old it is better to let them stand two hours.

Drain, wipe dry, and fry in boiling fat as Saratoga chips--not too many at a time. When they are a nice brown lift the basket from the fat, sprinkle with salt, shake the grease from them and remove with a skimming spoon, drain on paper and serve at once.

POTATOES a LA MAiTRE D'HoTEL.

Cut cold boiled potatoes in round slices, not too thick, put in a saucepan with some melted b.u.t.ter, pepper and salt. When they are hot add some lemon juice and a little minced parsley and serve.

POTATOES LYONNAISE.

Fry a little onion cut in thin slices in plenty of b.u.t.ter; when a delicate brown add some cold boiled potatoes cut in slices of medium thickness, mixing them with the onion by tossing them together rather than stirring, as this breaks them. Cook until a nice color, drain them, put in a dish and sprinkle a little minced parsley over them.

POTATOES a LA PARISIENNE.

Peel and wash some potatoes, scoop out into little b.a.l.l.s with a potato scoop, which is made for the purpose. Boil for five minutes, put in melted b.u.t.ter in a saucepan until each potato is well covered with the b.u.t.ter, turn them into a pan, and brown in the oven. Turn out on a dish and sprinkle with minced parsley and a little salt.

POTATOES CREAMED AND BROWNED.

Take a pint of cold boiled potatoes, cut into dice of uniform size. Have ready a pint of cream sauce, toss the potatoes in this, season with salt and white pepper to taste, put in a baking dish, sprinkle with dried bread crumbs and a tablespoonful of American Edam cheese. A few drops of onion juice, if liked, may be added before putting the potatoes into the dish. Set it in the oven a few minutes, until it becomes a golden brown and serve. Do not let it stand in the oven long or it will dry.

POTATO PUFF.

Two cupfuls of smoothly mashed boiled or baked potatoes, two tablespoonfuls of melted b.u.t.ter, two well-beaten whites of eggs, a cupful of sweet cream or rich milk. Stir the melted b.u.t.ter into the potato, then add the eggs and cream, season with salt and pepper, turn into a b.u.t.tered baking dish, bake in a quick oven and serve in the dish in which it is baked.

WHITE POTATO CROQUETTES.

Boil and mash very fine four medium sized potatoes. Put half a cup of rich milk and a generous heaping tablespoonful of b.u.t.ter in a saucepan over the fire. When the milk comes to a boil, stir in the mashed potatoes, season with pepper and salt to taste, mix thoroughly and add the white of an egg beaten to a stiff froth, remove from the fire, turn out on a plate to cool, then make up in small cylinders, dip in beaten egg, roll in cracker crumbs and fry a delicate brown in boiling fat.

POTATO PAPA (a Mexican Dish).

Wash, pare and boil one dozen small white potatoes, mash while hot and add to them half a cup of raisins stoned and chopped very fine, twenty large Queen olives stoned and chopped fine, one tablespoonful of parsley finely minced, an even teaspoonful of sugar, and salt and pepper to taste. Mix all well together, form into an oblong shape, leaving the top rough. Brown a little b.u.t.ter in a spider, put the papa into it, and after a few moments' frying scatter little lumps of b.u.t.ter over the top and set in the oven to brown. Garnish with parsley and hard-boiled eggs cut in quarters lengthwise.