The Athena press. [volume] (Athena, Umatilla County, Or.) 18??-1942, 1914-05-15
COOKING THE POTATO
MANY VARIATIONS IN SERVING
POPULAR VEGETABLE.
Occasional Changes viii Be Wei
coined by the Family and Really
Mean No More Work In Their
Preparation for the Table.

1t is not the most expensive nor the
greatest variety of food that makes
our tables enviable: 1t is the food to
the cooking of which the most atten-
tion is paid. A certain cookery book
gives 300 ways of cooking potatoes;
yet plenty of ignorant cooks and un-
trained housewives think usually OF
only four ways Of cooking this staple
vegetable boiling, frying. MASKING
and baking -four good ways, to be
sure, but much that Is good becomes
monotonous.
1t behooves the potato cook first to
understand the four usual methods, OF
course. Baked potatoes should be thor
oughly scrubbed before they are
cooked. They should be as even and
smooth as possible. When they are
half done they should be pricked with
a fork to allow the moisture inside to
escape, so that they will be mealy.
They should be thoroughly cooked.
Boiled potatoes should be cooked In
boiling, not only hot, water. When
they are done pour off the water and
let them stand In the open door of the
oven for few moments to become
mealy. Spread piece of cheesecloth
over the saucepan in which they
stand. Mashed potatoes should be
thoroughly boiled, and then mashed
q ha n
ricer Then hot milk, melted butter
and pepper and salt should be added,
a little milk at time. They should
then be beaten to creaminess In the
top of double boiler with large
dover egg beater. They should be
served hot Fried potatoes should be
fried In fat that is very hot to begin
with. Thus crust Is formed. The
heat may then be reduced slightly SO
that the potatoes do not burn.
Potato omeiet Is delicious lunch
con dish. For 1t, cut cold boiled po-
tatoes into quarter-inch squares.
Cover them with white sauce. Put
the mixture into frying pan In which
a tablespoonful of butter is bubbling.
Cook 1t like an omelet. Sprinkle 1t
with pepper and sauce before folding.
Potatoes with cheese can be pre-
pared In several ways. One way Is to
slice or dice cold boiled potatoes.
spread them In buttered dish, cover
them lightly with white sauce and
sprinkle them with grated cheese and
buttered bread crumbs. Then brown
them In the oven.
Chopped baked potatoes cooked in
this way are delicious: Boil them
with the jackets on until they are ten
der, but not mealy, and when they are
cool peel them. Chop them rather
fine and put them in a buttered bak-
ing dish. Cover them generously with
small bits of butter and pour over
them enough milk just to show at the
top. Season the milk, before pouring
II, with pepper and salt Now comes
the important part of this dish Bake
II slowly for at least an hour, and bet
ter for an hour and half. Add more
milk IL necessary When it is done
the potatoes should be moist. firm
and ready to melt In the mouth.
For potato pudding mash six large
potatoes and add to them salt. pepper
and well beaten egg. Line the bot
tom and sides of baking dish, with
an inch-thick layer Of the potato and
add cup OF cold cooked meat, minced
and seasoned with butter. pepper and
salt. Put on covering OF mashed
potato and bake 80 minutes.