Page:The White House Cook Book.djvu/219

 VEGETABLES. 197

and work all together thoroughly; make it into small balls slightly flattened, dip them in the beaten yolks of the eggs, then roll either in flour or cracker crumbs ; fry the same as fish-balls.

��Delmonico's. POTATOES A LA DELMONICO.

CUT the potatoes with a vegetable cutter into small balls about the size of a marble ; put them into a stewpan with plenty of butter and a good sprinkling of salt; keep the saucepan covered, and shake oc- casionally until they are quite done, which will be in about an hour.

FRIED POTATOES WITH EGGS.

SLICE cold boiled potatoes and fry in good butter until brown ; beat up one or two eggs, and stir into them just as you dish them for the table; do not leave them a moment on the fire after the eggs are in, for if they harden they are not half so nice; one egg is enough for three or four persons, unless they are very fond of potatoes ; if they are, have plenty and put in two.

BAKED POTATOES.

POTATOES are either baked in their jackets or peeled; in either case they should not be exposed to a fierce heat, which is wasteful, inas- much as thereby a great deal of vegetable is scorched and rendered uneatable. They should be frequently turned while being baked and kept from touching each other in the oven or dish. When done in their skins, be particular to wash and brush them before baking them. If convenient, they may be baked in wood-ashes, or in a Dutch oven in front of the fire. When pared they should be baked in a dish and fat of some kind added to prevent their outsides from becoming burnt ; they are ordinarily baked thus as an accessory to baked meat.

Never serve potatoes, boiled or baked whole, in a closely covered dish. They become sodden and clammy. Cover with a folded nap- kin that allows the steam to escape, or absorbs the moisture. They should be served promptly when done and require about three-quar- ters of an hour to one hour to bake them, if of a good size.

BROWNED POTATOES WITH A ROAST. No. 1.

ABOUT three-quarters of an hour before taking up your roasts, peel middling-sized potatoes, boil them until partly done, then arrange

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