Whip three tablespoonfuls of mashed potatoes to a white cream with butter and a tablespoonful of cream. Season with celery salt and white pepper, add three tablespoon fuls of almonds, blanched and chopped very fine. With this mixture stuff your young ducks when you have cleaned and washed them. Do not distend the bodies, but fill without packing. Truss and bind legs and wings into position with cotton-twine. Lay the plump creatures (they must be fat and white) upon the grating of your roaster, rub the breast with a split onion, dust with pepper, salt, and flour; put a cupful of boiling water into the pan and cover. Set in a very quick oven for the first fifteen minutes. Change, then, to a more moderate, and cook, still covered, ten minutes to the pound. Uncover, baste well with gravy, then with butter, dredge with flour, and brown.

Skim the fat from the gravy, thicken with a tablespoonful of browned flour, rubbed up with two tablespoonfuls of currant jelly, and send to table in a boat.

This is one of the choicest of summer delicacies.