394. Potato Sandwiches.—Sauté the slices of beef as directed for bubble and squeak, cover one side of each piece with mashed potatoes a quarter of an inch in thickness, egg and bread-crumb over, then proceed the same with the other sides, fry in hot fat of a light brown color, as you would a sole, and serve. Any kind of fresh meat may be used in the same way.
395. Bubble and Squeak.—I am certain you must know, as well as myself, of our hereditary dish called bubble and squeak; but, like the preparation of other things, there is a good way and a bad; and, as you prefer the former to the latter, proceed as follows:—Boil a few greens, or a savoy cabbage (which has been previously well-washed), in plain water until tender, which then drain until quite dry in a colander or sieve, put it upon a trencher, and chop it rather fine with a knife, then for a pound of salt beef you have in slices, put nearly a quarter of a pound of butter into a frying-pan, in which sauté the beef gently but not too dry; when done, keep it hot, put the cabbage in the frying-pan, season with a little salt and pepper, and when hot through, dress it upon a dish, lay the beef over and serve. Endive or large cabbage-lettuces may be used instead of cabbage, but care must be taken to drain off all the water.
396. Stewed Beef or Rump Steak.—Have a steak weighing two pounds, and an inch and a half in thickness, then put two ounces of butter at the bottom of a stewpan, when melted lay in the steak, with a quarter of a pound of lean bacon cut into very small square pieces, place the stewpan over the fire, turning the steak over occasionally until a little browned, when lay it out upon a dish, then add a tablespoonful of flour to the butter in the stewpan, which continue stirring over the fire until forming a brownish roux, then again lay in the steak, add a pint of water, with a glass of sherry if handy, and a little pepper, salt, and a couple of bay-leaves, let simmer slowly for one hour, when skim off all the fat, and add twenty button onions, let it again simmer until the onions are very tender, as likewise the steak, which dress upon a dish, take the onions and bacon out with a colander-spoon, and lay them upon the steak, pour the sauce round and serve. This slow process must not alarm you.
397. Ox Brains are prepared exactly as directed for calf’s brains, but being larger, require much longer to disgorge, as also a proportionate time longer to cook; when done, in addition to the sauce ordered for calf’s brains, they may be served with strips of bacon broiled and dressed in a border round, sauce over with highly-seasoned melted butter and parsley sauce. You must observe, that all such kind of dishes being of themselves naturally tasteless, require to be highly seasoned: any sharp sauce is good with it.
398. Beef à-la-Mode.—Procure a small piece of rump, sirloin, or ribs of beef, about twelve pounds in weight, take away all the bone, and lard the meat through with ten long pieces of fat bacon, then put it into a long earthen pan, with a calf’s foot, four onions, two carrots, cut in slices if large, a bunch of parsley, two bay-leaves, two sprigs of thyme, two cloves stuck into one of the onions, half a teaspoonful of pepper, one of salt, four wine-glasses of sherry, four ditto of water, and a pound of streaky bacon cut in squares, place the cover over the pan with a piece of common flour and water paste round the edges to keep it perfectly air-tight, and place it in a moderate oven four hours, when take out of the pan, and dress upon a dish with the vegetables and bacon round, skim and pass the gravy through a hair sieve, which pour over and serve. But the above is best eaten cold, when it should not be taken from the pan, or the pan opened until nearly so.
A long brown earthen pan for the above purposes may be obtained at any china warehouse, but should you not be able to procure one, a stewpan must supply its place.