437. In our directions for dressing vegetables, we speak lastly of potatoes - not because the cooking of this every-day food is of the least importance, but because, on the contrary, it is of the greatest. There are few persons, simple as the process may appear to be, who can cook potatoes well with certainty. Potatoes from the same ground, and of the same kind, dressed by the same cook, may come to table one day palatable and nutritious, and the next the very reverse of these qualities. How does this happen? The cook acts upon no principle. By accident the potatoes may be boiled well, and by accident they may be boiled bad: in one word, the boiling of potatoes is, with the generality of cooks, all chance work. A friend of ours, Mr. John Barker, the attorney, no mean judge in such matters, always averred, that a woman who could boil potatoes and melt butter well, was a good cook; he never requires any other proof of the capabilities of a cook. The fact is, those who thoroughly understand the elements of any art or science, find little or no difficulty in what are called the higher branches. It is for this reason that we have, in our little work, dwelt so much upon elementary principles, in preference to filling it up with long receipts, which every body may obtain, but which do not teach any principle of the art of cookery. Dr. Kitchiner observes, that "the vegetable kingdom affords no food more wholesome, more easily procured, easily prepared, and less expensive, than the potatoe." This is perfectly true, and yet how few are there that can boil potatoes properly! In Ireland, as every body knows, potatoes constitute almost entirely the food of the great mass of the people; in Ireland, therefore, necessity must have taught the people the best mode of cooking them. Their process is this: the potatoes, unpeeled, that is with their jackets on, after being washed, are put into a cast-iron pot of cold water, which is placed on the fire. When the water boils, a small quantity of cold water is put into the pot to check the boiling; this is once or twice repeated. When the potatoes are done, or nearly done, the water is poured away from the potatoes, which are again subjected to the fire to let the steam evaporate, and make the potatoes mealy. They are then served up in the usual way, (we are speaking of the tables of the middling classes,) and each person takes as many potatoes as he chooses; he peels them, depositing the skins by the side of his plate. In the course of the dinner the potatoes on the table will become cold, when a fresh supply is ordered, and when furnished, the host calls out to his guest, "a hot potatoe, Sir."Before the dinner is finished, you will have two or three supplies of hot potatoes, and the last, though all from the same pot, are to our taste better than the first. They are all the time kept on the fire; the action of the heat completely evaporates the moisture from the potatoes, and those at the bottom of the iron pot become par* tially roasted. Such is the Irish mode of dressing potatoes, and if we could reconcile ourselves to the "bother" of peeling them, and to the disagreeable appearance of a table-cloth nearly covered with potatoe skins, there is no doubt that we should consider the Irish way of dressing and serving potatoes the best. The generality of modern cookery books recommend the dressing of potatoes with their skins on, like the Irish, but direct that they should be peeled before sent to the table; this mode spoils the potatoes by cooling them; when so dressed, they should be eaten hot. We recommend that potatoes, excepting when young, for the table, should be always pared, carefully pared, before they are boiled: that they should be put into cold water with salt, and boiled quickly, till they are nearly done; that then the water should be poured off, and the potatoes again subjected to the fire, covered with a close lid, till they are quite done, when the lid ought to be removed, and the moisture evaporated. They may be then mashed, or served whole. The cook should take care to have potatoes pretty much of an equal size, or, if this be not practicable, she should divide the large ones. We ought, however, to add, with regard to peeling potatoes, that most people very fond of this root insist upon it, that you do not get the true flavour if you do not dress it with the skin on. Let it be always remembered, that potatoes differ very much in quality, and that no cook can dress a bad potatoe into a good one.

This brings us to the choice of potatoes. We can lay down no rule, notwithstanding what former writers have said, for the choice of potatoes. As it is with pudding, so it is with potatoes - the proof is in the eating. The dealers in nuts say, "Crack and try before you buy," and we say as regards potatoes, Boil and try before you buy; the expenditure of one half-penny will enable you to do this. Dr. Kitchiner says, that "reddish coloured potatoes are better than the white, but the yellowish ones are the best." The colour of a potatoe is no criterion of its goodness or badness; there are good of all colours, and there are bad of all colours. You should never buy washed potatoes; they should never be washed till they are to be used, and as little as possible exposed to the open air. When frostbitten, they are good for nothing as regards culinary purposes. There are various directions given by writers for dressing potatoes, some of which we subjoin. Kitchiner says, that "most boiled things are spoiled by having too little water; but potatoes are often spoiled by too much." It is sufficient to just cover them with water. Potatoes may be boiled well according to either of the subjoined methods; but after trying all, we prefer our own.

439. Potatoes To Steam

Let the potatoes be washed, and put into the steamer, when the water boils in the saucepan beneath; they will take about three-quarters of an hour to steam, and should be taken up as soon as done, or they become watery.

440. To Roast

Wash and dry potatoes all of a size; put them in a dutch oven, or cheese toaster, or in the oven by the side of the fire; take care that the heat is not too great, or they will burn before they are baked through. They may be parboiled first; in that case they will take less time in baking.

441. Potatoes Mashed

When the potatoes are thoroughly boiled or steamed, drain them dry, pick out every speck, and while hot rub them through a colander into a clean saucepan, in which warm them, stirring in half an ounce or an ounce of butter, and a table-spoonful of milk, with a little pepper and salt; do not make them too wet; then put them into the scallop shells, or pudding shells buttered, the tops washed over with the yolk of an egg, and browned in an oven by the side of the fire; but best in a dutch oven. Some people consider a mixture of boiled onions an improvement.

442. Potatoes Roasted Under Meat

Parboil large potatoes; peel them, and put them in an earthen dish, or small tin pan, under meat that is roasting.. They will partake of the basting, salting, and flouring, that are put on the meat; when one side is brown, turn and brown the other. They may be baked in the same manner in an oven.

443. Potatoes Fried Or Broiled

Cut cold potatoes into slices a quarter of an inch thick, and fry them brown in a clean dripping-pan. Some people like them shaved in little thin pieces, sprinkled with salt and pepper, and stirred about in the frying-pan till hot through. They are very good fried whole; first dip them in egg and roll them in bread crumbs; they are likewise very good broiled on a gridiron, after being partially boiled. Cold potatoes, which are generally thrown away, are very good when broiled.

444. Potatoe Balls

Mix mashed potatoes with a beaten egg, roll them in balls and fry them, either with or without crumbs.

445. Potatoe Snow

Wash very clean some potatoes of a white mealy sort; set them on in cold water, and boil them according to the first direction; when done, strain the water from them, crack the skins, put them by the fire until they are quite dry and fall to pieces; then rub them through a wire sieve on the dish they are to be served on, and do not disturb them.