This section is from the book "Soyer's Standard Cookery", by Nicolas Soyer. Also available from Amazon: Soyer's Standard Cookery.
Cook the potatoes in their jackets in salted water, after which peel them, cut into slices and place on a dish. Pour over them a white sauce with capers, or gherkins cut into pieces about the size of capers.
Take a cupful of crushed bread rusks with three cupfuls of mashed potatoes and mix with two well-beaten eggs. Flavor with chopped parsley, pepper, salt, and a little nutmeg. If the mixture is not very stiff add a little more bread. Make into small balls and throw into boiling salted water, in which let them cook for a quarter of an hour, by which time they will have nearly doubled in size.
Tomato sauce may be served with these.
Put a spoonful of chopped onion into a frying pan with sufficient butter, and let it brown. Then add two cupfuls of sliced raw potatoes, sprinkle with pepper and salt, and fry till they are lightly browned. Now beat up an egg, pour it over the potatoes, and serve at once.
Boil one pound of good floury potatoes and rub them through a hair sieve into a large bowl. While still hot work into the potatoes the yolks of four eggs and one ounce of grated Parmesan cheese, seasoning with a little pepper. Next melt two ounces of fresh butter and stir well into the potatoes, afterwards adding the whisked whites of the four eggs. Mix very thoroughly and then place the whole in a buttered pudding mold which must be not quite filled. Tie a sheet of paper over the mold and bake for twenty-five minutes.
Although every English-woman knows how to prepare mashed potatoes it cannot be denied that French women turn out a superior article; and it may, therefore, be of interest to describe the French mode of preparing this dish.
Peel eight fairly large potatoes and cut into quarters. Then wash them and place in a saucepan with sufficient cold water to just cover. Sprinkle with a little salt and boil for half an hour. After draining rub the potatoes through a fine sieve and place in a sauecpan with a quarter of strong stock - a little meat extract will do - a suspicion of grated nutmeg, a little salt and white pepper, and an ounce of butter. Stir this briskly over the fire, for the lightness of the puree will depend mainly upon the vigor with which the stirring is done.
When ready pile up the puree on a hot dish and serve it at once; or the surface may be smoothed with the blade of a knife and brushed with beaten egg, after which the dish is baked for about fifteen minutes till the surface is nicely browned.
Mix together four boiled potatoes sliced, a tablespoonful of minced onion, the same quantity of chopped parsley, a little pepper and salt, and half a cupful of new milk. Stir thoroughly and place in a dish. Over this spread a layer of breadcrumbs mixed with the yolk of an egg. Bake the whole thoroughly.
Mix together four tablespoonfuls of flour with a cupful of milk, a beaten egg, and a little parsley. To this add four sliced onions previously fried in butter. After stirring thoroughly, slice six large boiled potatoes into the mixture, and add just enough milk to cover the whole. Sprinkle freely with breadcrumbs, a little nutmeg, and some chopped parsley, and bake until well browned.
Peel, halve and put sufficient in paper-bag for three persons with three tablespoonfuls of cold water. Add one leaf of mint, and a little salt. Seal up bag. Place gently on the grid. Allow thirty to thirty-five minutes in hot oven (350 Fahr.). All potatoes should be cut in two.
Thoroughly wash twelve good-sized potatoes. Make a few small slits in them but do not peel. Place in a paper-bag with one tablespoonful of water. Cook for thirty-five to fifty minutes, according to size, in 350 Fahr.
Peel and blanch two dozen small potatoes and drain well.
Put them in a bag and add two ounces of butter. Seal up and bake in a very hot oven for thirty-fwe minutes (350 Fahr.). Place on a very hot dish, season to taste and serve.
Cut half a dozen good-sized peeled potatoes into large dice; blanch for a minute or so. Place in a paper-bag and add a chopped onion, four ounces of ham finely diced, and two ounces of butter. Seal up and bake for thirty minutes in 300 Fahr.
Pommes Maître d'Hôtel. Cut up six cold boiled potatoes, place in a well-buttered bag, add half a glass of milk, salt and pepper, an ounce of butter, a little chopped parsley, and grated nutmeg. Cook for fifteen minutes in 300 Fahr.
 
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