There is no vegetable commonly cultivated in this country, we
venture to assert, which is comparable in value to the potato when it
is of a good sort, has been grown in a suitable soil, and is properly
cooked and served. It must be very nutritious, or it would not sus-
tain the strength of thousands of people whose almost sole food it
constitutes, and who, when they can procure a sufficient supply of it
to satisfy fully the demands of hunger, are capable of accomplishing
the heaviest daily labour. It may not be wise to depend for sub-
sistence on a root *of which the crop unhappily is so frequently in
these days destroyed or greatly injured by disease, and for which it
is so difficult to find a substitute that is equally cheap, wholesome
and satisfying ; but we can easily comprehend the predilection of an
entire people for a tuber which combines, like the potato, the so-
310
MODERN COOKERY.
[chap. xvit.
lidity almost of bread, with the healthful properties* of various other
fresh vegetables, without their acidity ; and which can also he cooked
and served in so many different forms. The wretched manner in
which it is dressed in many English houses renders it comparatively
valueless, and accounts in a measure for the prodigality with
which it is thrown away when cold, even in seasons when its price
is highest.!
TO BOIL POTATOES.
{As in Ireland.')
Potatoes, to boil well together, should be all of the same sort, and
as nearly equal in size as may be. Wash off the mould, and scrub
them very clean with a hard brush, but neither scoop nor apply a
knife to them in any way, even to clear the eyes.J Rinse them well,
and arrange them compactly in a saucepan, so that they may not lie
loose in the water, and that a small quantity may suffice to cover
them. Pour this in cold, and when it boils, throw in about a large
teaspoonful of salt to the quart✪ To Boil Potatoes (As in Ireland), and simmer the potatoes until they
are nearly done, hut for the last two or three minutes let them boil
rapidly. When they are tender quite through, which may be known
by probing them with a fork, pour all the water from them imme-
diately, lift the lid of the saucepan to allow the steam to escape, and
place them on a trivet, high over the fire, or by the side of it, until
the moisture has entirely evaporated ; then peel, and send them to
table as quickly as possible, either in a hot napkin, or in a dish, of
which the cover is so placed that the steam can pass off. There
should be no delay in serving them after they are once taken from
the fire. Irish families always prefer them served in their skins.
Some kinds will be sufficiently boiled in twenty minutes, others in
not less than three quarters of an hour.
20 minutes to 1 hour, or more.
* The late Dr. Pereira has stated in his excellent work on diet, page 370, that
Dr. Baly, who has published some interesting observations on the anti-scorbutic
quality of the potato, says, “ Js ordinarily cooked, it is an admirable preservative
against the scurvy,” for which it appears to be also a cure, see the same work.
Page 284 · 1 recipe record on this page
Presented as published in 1884. Historical recipes may not meet modern food-safety standards. Cook from the modern interpretation, not the original instructions.
AI-modernized reading of the original text
There is no vegetable commonly cultivated in this country, we venture to assert, which is comparable in value to the potato when it is of a good sort, has been grown in a suitable soil, and is properly cooked and served. It must be very nutritious, or it would not sustain the strength of thousands of people whose almost sole food it constitutes, and who, when they can procure a sufficient supply of it to satisfy fully the demands of hunger, are capable of accomplishing the heaviest daily labour. It may not be wise to depend for subsistence on a root *of which the crop unhappily is so frequently in these days destroyed or greatly injured by disease, and for which it is so difficult to find a substitute that is equally cheap, wholesome and satisfying ; but we can easily comprehend the predilection of an entire people for a tuber which combines, like the potato, the so-
[CHAP. XVII.
lidity almost of bread, with the healthful properties* of various other fresh vegetables, without their acidity ; and which can also he cooked and served in so many different forms. The wretched manner in which it is dressed in many English houses renders it comparatively valueless, and accounts in a measure for the prodigality with which it is thrown away when cold, even in seasons when its price is highest.!
TO BOIL POTATOES.
{As in Ireland.')
Potatoes, to boil well together, should be all of the same sort, and as nearly equal in size as may be. Wash off the mould, and scrub them very clean with a hard brush, but neither scoop nor apply a knife to them in any way, even to clear the eyes.J Rinse them well, and arrange them compactly in a saucepan, so that they may not lie loose in the water, and that a small quantity may suffice to cover them. Pour this in cold, and when it boils, throw in about a large teaspoonful of salt to the quart, and simmer the potatoes until they are nearly done, hut for the last two or three minutes let them boil rapidly. When they are tender quite through, which may be known by probing them with a fork, pour all the water from them immediately, lift the lid of the saucepan to allow the steam to escape, and place them on a trivet, high over the fire, or by the side of it, until the moisture has entirely evaporated ; then peel, and send them to table as quickly as possible, either in a hot napkin, or in a dish, of which the cover is so placed that the steam can pass off. There should be no delay in serving them after they are once taken from the fire. Irish families always prefer them served in their skins. Some kinds will be sufficiently boiled in twenty minutes, others in not less than three quarters of an hour.
20 minutes to 1 hour, or more.
* The late Dr. Pereira has stated in his excellent work on diet, page 370, that Dr. Baly, who has published some interesting observations on the anti-scorbutic quality of the potato, says, “ Js ordinarily cooked, it is an admirable preservative against the scurvy,” for which it appears to be also a cure, see the same work.
Records on this page
To Boil Potatoes (As in Ireland)