The Well-Traveled Spud

From our old friend Ruth Berolzheimer and her crew at the Culinary Arts Institute of Chicago, published in 1961.

Franconia Potatoes. Select medium-sized potatoes, pare and place them in the baking pan with the roast, allowing an hour and a quarter for their cooking. Turn them often and baste with the gravy from the roast. Serve them arranged about the meat on the platter. If you wish to shorten the cooking time, parboil them for fifteen minutes before putting them into the roasting pan, and allow forty-five minutes for the roasting.

Dutch Potatoes. 6 potatoes, 6 frankfurter sausages, 6 slices fat salt pork or bacon, pepper. Scrub medium-sized potatoes; pare or leave the skins on as preferred. With an apple-corer cut a tunnel through the center of each, lengthwise. Draw through each cavity one of the frankfurters. Place in a dripping pan and lay a blanket of fat salt pork or a thick slice of bacon on each potato. Pepper lightly and bake in a very hot oven (450° - 500° F) until the potatoes are tender, basting occasionally with the drippings and a little hot water.

Belgian Baked Potatoes. Prepare potatoes as for French fried. Dip them in melted fat and lay them in a shallow pan, being sure that the pieces do not overlap. Bake in a quick oven (400° - 450° F) until brown on top, turn carefully and continue baking until they resemble French fried potatoes. Baste them with more fat during baking, if necessary. When done, sprinkle with salt and serve piping hot.

Saratoga Potatoes. Wash and pare potatoes and shave into very thin slices. Soak them for one hour in cold water, then drain and dry on a towel. Fry in deep fat (395° F) a few slices at a time until light brown, keeping them in motion with a skimmer. Lay them on soft paper to drain. Sprinkle lightly with salt, and serve.

American Fried Potatoes. No. 1 – Cut boiled potatoes into slices one-fourth of an inch thick. Heat a very little fat in a frying pan and sauté the slices, browning on both sides. Season with salt and pepper. No. 2 – Chop the potatoes in a chopping bowl until the pieces measure one-half inch or less, and add them to the hot fat in the frying pan. Season with salt and pepper and sauté, stirring constantly, until the potatoes look yellow and are cooking well. Then cover the pan, set it in a slow heat for five minutes, and serve in a heated dish.

Lyonnaise Potatoes. 2 cups boiled potatoes, sliced, 1 tablespoon minced onion, 2 tablespoons fat, 1 tablespoon chopped parsley, salt and pepper. The potatoes should be rather underdone to produce the best results. Season with salt and pepper. Sauté the onion in fat until yellow, add the diced potato and stir with a fork until all sides are brown, being careful not to break the potatoes. Add more fat if necessary. When done, turn the potatoes out upon a hot dish, sprinkle parsley over the top, and serve hot.

Spanish Potatoes. 1 tablespoon minced onion, 2 tablespoons chopped green pepper, 2 tablespoons chopped pimiento, 4 tablespoons oil or cooking fat, 2 cups cold boiled potatoes, diced, ½ cup cold cooked ham, chopped, 1 teaspoon salt, ½ teaspoon paprika. Sauté the onion, pepper and pimiento in the fat until light brown, add the diced potatoes, the chopped ham and seasonings and cook until thoroughly heated through.