To Boil Potatoes (Captain Kater to Mrs. Acton).
Pare the potatoes; cover them with cold water; boil them gently until they are done. Pour off the water, and sprinkle salt over them; then with a spoon take each potato and lay it into a clean, warm cloth; twist this so as to press all the moisture from the vegetable, and render it quite round; turn it carefully into a dish placed before the fire; throw a cloth over; and when all are done, send them to the table immediately. Potatoes dressed in this way are mashed without the slightest trouble.
Mashed Potatoes.
Every one thinks she can make so simple a dish as that of mashed potatoes; but it is the excellence of art to produce good mashed as well as good boiled potatoes. In fact, I believe there is nothing so difficult in cookery as to properly boil a potato.
To mash them, then, first boil them properly. Put into a hot crock basin, which can be placed at the side of the fire, half a cupful or more of cream, a piece of butter the size of an egg, plenty of salt and pepper, and let them get hot. One of the secrets of good mashed potatoes is the mixing of the ingredients all hot. Now add six or seven potatoes the moment they are done, and mash them without stopping until they are as smooth as possible; then work them a very few moments with a fork, and serve them immediately. Do not rub egg over, and bake them; that ruins them. Much depends upon mashed potatoes being served at table hot, and freshly made. They are very nice prepared à la neige.
Potatoes à la Neige.
These are mashed potatoes made as in the preceding receipt, pressed through a colander into a dish in which they are to be served. The potatoes then resemble rice or vermicelli, and are very light and nice. They make a pretty dish, and must be served very hot. They make a favorite accompaniment to venison, and are often served around a rolled rib roast of beef.
To Bake Potatoes.
The potatoes must be of equal size. Put them into a hot oven and bake until tender. The excellence of baked potatoes depends upon their being served immediately when they are just baked enough. A moment underdone, and they are indigestible and worthless; a moment overdone, and they have begun to dry. It requires about an hour to bake a large potato. This is a favorite way of cooking potatoes for lunch or tea.