Rapides gazette., 1873-11-15
HOME INTERESTS.

How TO Cook PoTAToES.-Ihe'f follow-
ing excellent chapter appeared originally
in an American paper (the Country Gen
tEeRaa. we believe). Since then il has
been extensively copied in Europe. Hav-
ing thus run the test of the whole world
OF :. French cooks" and other cooks, we
bring it home in triumph and give it a
place in our columns: There is probably
no daily food which is capable of yielding
US such variety of healthful and tasteful
dishes as the potato; and yet many respect
able families seem to have but one mode
through the entire year, and that with as
little care as possible-namely, boiling.
Some might be interested to notice a few
OF the pretty ways in which have seen
them prepared in a pleasant rural home,
where the mistress does not think it be-
meath her to give some time and thought
TO the planning of nutritious and even
fanciful dishes. Do you say, a potato is
only potato when you have done and
said all? All! my dear Mrs. B.. agree
with you exactly--a potato is only pota-
to. but so long "a they are made standard
dish on almost every table, is it not better
to give the preparation of them a little
study and care. rather than to bring them
into dinner cold, wet, andindgestible? So,
while our husbands and brothers are pom
dering over the kind best adapted to the
climate and soil, let us give few minutes
to the nice preparation of the crop they
will put into our cellars by-and-by. Care
should be taken TO select from the bin all
alike in size, being sure to allow them just
sufficient time TO become nicely crisp and
brown at the hour the remainder of the
dinner is ready. They should not be al
lowed in the open oven one moment after
DONE there to shrink, as if protesting
against delay; neither be sent to the table
to wait five or ten minutes the move
ments of some tardy husband and
children. Mashed potatoes, that are nicely
pared. boiled and dried, seasoned richly
with salt. cream, or milk and butter, are
always good, always nice, if smOothed
down into the dish with care, and prettily
spotted with pepper. The mashed pota-
toes left from dinner make fancy dish for
breakfast, by making into little cakes or
patties, with the hand, and frying brown
in dripping or butter. The butter should
be hot when the cakes are put in. The
boiled potatoes, left from yesterdays din
ner, are very good chopped fine and warm
ed for breakfast in good milk and butter
with salt and pepper. When you are boil
ing your tea-kettle tonight you can boil
cold slice them the long way, something
less than quarter of an inch in thickness.
In the morning lay them one by one on
the griddle, to slowly toast or brown in
good butter or fat, salting them carefully
and evenly, after placing them in covered
dish. Gentlemen always like these with
their coffee: and these, or the potato balls,
are an addition TO the tea-table when gen.
tlemen are present. Still another way to
fry is TO pare the potato round and round.
like and apple, until all is used, cooking
slowly and evenly in a covered spider, un-
Ill brown. In the spring, when the pOta-
toes are poor, difficulty is experienced in
preparing them to relish. Pare and cut
them half an inch in thickness, putting to
boil in salted water until tender; then |
pour off the water and put on cream, or
good milk, seasoning and thickening care
fully with only a little flour. For those |
who have no milk, fresh boiling water can
be used with nearly as good results. Near
ly all good housekeepers know the value |
of potatoes in yeast, and that grated they |
make an excellent pudding with the usual
additions. After all, perhaps, there is no
form which is used, both for excellence and |
health, equal to the good old-fashioned |
mashed potato.
HEAD-CHEEsE.-Select a clean, fat, and |
perfect pigs head; have it cut through |
the center of the forehead and snout and |
again under the eyes, separating the snout |
from the forehead; also have the eyes,
lids, and surrounding membranes, with |
the sac, removed, going close to the bone
socket that the eye may not break. Then |
remove the ears, with the wrinkled skin |
surrounding them, taking out the canal of |
the ear and the honey portion cOntaininU |
the drum, etc. After this is done the |
bones of the snout are easily taken out.
Put the pieces to soak in plenty of luke
warm water, draining off and adding fresh |
until the blood is removed. SINCE off the
hairs, and examine the fieshy part of the
snout and lower jaw, taking off the skin.
which will now come away easily with the
knife; wash again and salt. Mix thor
oughly together one part of salt and Ia
of finely pulveriZed saltpeter.
rubbing the pieces of meat well with it
and. il wished, little sugar or molasses.
Pack the pieces closely i'm a crock; let
them remain for two weeks, turning occa-
sionally that the top pieces may go into
brine that has been formed at the bottom.
Wash all the brine off at the end of thai
time, and boil gently until tender, and the
meat strips off the bone without using a
knife. After taking out all bones, cut fine
with knife and fork. season with black
pepper and very small portion of mace
(pulveriZed sage is an improvement, if
used sparingly); put into a dish with
straight sides, packing close, and pressing
with heavy weight. Cut in thin slices,
and eat with mustard and vinegar.
A Il IA