Tomato Salad

Mayonnaise dressing is invariably used for this salad, and it should be made thicker, or, rather, less vinegar should be used, for two reasons: the tomato itself, being so largely acid, does not require the dressing to be so piquant, and the tomato gives off so much juice that the dressing is much thinned by it. The dressing, therefore, should be quite thick. When this salad is to be served as a separate course, choose tomatoes that are not too large, and peel them carefully with a sharp knife, taking care to preserve the round shape of the fruit. Set them on the ice for an hour; then take them up, and with a corer take out a neat piece from the stem portion of each. This may also be done with a sharp-pointed knife. Fill the cavity thus made with mayonnaise, heaping it up as much as possible. Set the tomatoes on three or four crisp lettuce leaves laid with their points outward, and serve.a tomato to each person at table. There are many other ways of preparing this salad. A simple plan is to peel the tomatoes, lay them on the ice to thoroughly chill, cut them in rather thick slices, lay the slices in a salad bowl or on a flat dish, and pour the mayonnaise over all, using no lettuce at all. Serve a slice to each one at table. The tomatoes may also be peeled, chilled, cut in halves and set in a nest of lettuce leaves, the dressing being poured over them and one-half served to each person. The last method is very convenient when the tomatoes are too large to serve one to each person.

Potato Salad

There is no salad in which there is such an opportunity for a variety of combinations as in this. New potatoes or the German potatoes are the best for the purpose; a ripe, mealy potato breaks into crumbs and spoils the dish. When new or German potatoes are not obtainable, do not boil the potatoes quite so long as for other purposes, thus leaving them underdone; they can then be cut in any desired shape.

The simplest potato salad is made by slicing the potatoes rather thinly, arranging a layer in the salad dish and covering lightly with any dressing preferred; arrange another layer of potatoes and dressing, and so continue until all the potatoes are used; then serve. Potatoes and beets are often used together. Cut them in half-inch dice or in thin slices, and season with salt and pepper. Rub the yolk of a hard-boiled egg through a sieve, and chop some parsley rather coarsely. Arrange m the salad bowl alternate layers of potatoes, beets, egg, parsley and dressing, until all the ingredients are used, reserving quite a goodly portion of the dressing for the top layer, and placing egg and parsley on top of the dressing. Or place the potatoes, parsley and egg in the center of the dish and a circle of beets and lettuce around the edge; and pour the salad dressing over the whole.

Onions, thinly sliced and sparingly used are often arranged in alternate layers with the potato. Many professional cooks prefer to mix a potato salad while the potatoes are hot, as it looks more appetizing, will keep longer and has less of the peculiar soggy taste than when made with cold potatoes.