Cookery for every household

The potatoes must be of equal size for boiling ; if some are larger than others, cut them in two or three pieces. Put them into a saucepan, just large enough to hold them, sprinkle with salt, and cover them with cold water. Potatoes should neither have too much room while boiling, nor too much water to toss them about. Put the lid on the pan, and bring them quickly to the boil, and then draw the pan to the side of the fire and allow the water just to simmer gently until the potatoes are ready. The time will vary from twenty to thirty minutes, according to the age and kind of potatoes used. Let them cook until they can be pierced pretty easily with a fork or skewer. Then pour off every drop of water, holding the lid against the top of the saucepan, to keep the potatoes from falling out. Cover the potatoes over with a piece of crumpled kitchen paper. Put the lid half on the pan, and let them stand by the side of the fire for from five to ten minutes longer, shaking the pan occasionally until the potatoes are quite dry and mealy. It is better not to boil the potatoes too soft to begin with ; they will finish cooking afterwards in their own steam. Note. — Some kinds of potatoes will cook better if put on in warm water instead of cold, one or two trials will soon show which is best. Time to cook, about | hour. 533. Potatoes, To Boil in the Skin (Pommes de Terre en Robe de Chambre) Choose good sound potatoes of equal size. Wash and brush them in cold water until perfectly clean, then put them into a saucepan with boiling water to cover them and salt in the proportion of one dessert-spoonful to a quart of water. Put the lid on the pan and bring the potatoes quickly to the boil, then simmer more slowly until they can be pierced fairly easily with a fork or skewer. They will require from 20 to 30 minutes. Now strain off every drop of water, cover the potatoes with a folded cloth or piece of crumpled paper and let them stand by the side of the fire for a few minutes. Shake the pan occasionally until the potatoes are dry and mealy. Then take them up, peel them quickly and serve in a hot vegetable dish, or if preferred serve them in their jackets, placing them in a hot folded serviette. Note. — The potatoes must be quite sound and free from decay to cook in this way, otherwise it is safer to peel them. Time to cook, about \ hour. 534. Potatoes, To Steam Steaming is one of the simplest and best ways of cooking potatoes. Prepare the potatoes as for boiling (Recipe 532), and cut them to an equal size. Put them into a steamer and sprinkle with salt. Place the steamer on the top of a saucepan of boiling water, and put on the lid. Keep the water in the saucepan underneath the potatoes quickly boiling all the time. The time for cooking will depend on the size and kind of potato. When they can be pierced easily with a skewer, cover them with a clean cloth, remove the steamer from the water and stand it in a warm place until the Potatoes are dry and mealy. Ten minutes should be sufficient. Time to cook, 30 to 40 minutes. 535. Potatoes, To Bake