Reed-birds and Potatoes in Surprise

Ingredients

• Procure twelve Philadelphia reed-birds
• sprinkle inside half a salt-spoonful of salt
• cover the birds with a very thin, paper-like piece of salted larding-pork
• Have prepared some canapes of stale bread
• butter them
• Peel and slice some long potatoes

Method

1. 1

   Prepare the reed-birds and truss them.

2. 2

   Brown canapes in butter, lay in a roasting pan, and cook the birds in a hot oven for eight minutes.

3. 3

   Prepare fried potato nests and serve the birds on top.

As published

This recipe was extracted from Harper's cook book encyclopædia (1902), page 213. The excerpt below is the record exactly as published.

eed -birds and Potatoes in Sur- prise.— Procure twelve Philadelphia reed-birds, pick them entirely, neck and head, taking care not to tear the skin. Singe them, make a very small opening, and clean them with a small coffee-spoon ; wipe them with a damp towel and sprinkle inside half a salt - spoonful of salt. Cut the nails, truss the legs at the joints, so as to bring the feet upon the thighs, fasten with a small string ; truss the wings behind the back, pass the head under the right one, and bring it towards the front. Fasten the wings with another string across the lower part of the breast. Cover the birds with a very thin, paper-like piece of salted larding-pork, and fasten with a small string. Have prepared some canapes of stale bread cut the length of the bird. Brown them slightly and butter them ; lay them in a but- tered roasting - pan, turn the birds over, and cook in a hot oven for eight minutes. Cut the strings, remove the blankets of pork, put the canapes in the bird's -nest, and arrange the birds over it. Pour over the dripping from the roasting - pan, and serve at once. The bird’s -nest is made of fried potatoes. Peel and slice some long potatoes

Cook this with the app: pantry check, scaling, and the assistant.