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 butter, 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 à 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 butter, broil over a clear fire until a nice brown. Serve with melted butter and finely minced parsley poured over them.
[POTATOES À LA CRÊME 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 butter. Put in a quick oven for a few minutes to brown. Do not leave it in too long, or it will become dry.