Potatoes (Teaspoon salt Dash of pepper)

A loose-leaf page that has lost part of its ingredient column: butter and milk are called for in the method but never quantified, and the potatoes themselves are uncounted. Everything else is straightforward twice-baked potato technique.

• The missing quantitiesThe salt, pepper and egg survive; the butter and milk do not. For four medium baking potatoes, roughly 2 tablespoons butter and 3 to 4 tablespoons hot milk will bring the mash to a pipeable consistency without loosening it.
• Assume four potatoesThe teaspoon of salt and the single egg would suit roughly four potatoes, but this is only a guess; the surviving page never says how many. Scale the seasoning down if you make fewer.
• Oven temperatureThe page gives none. As a modern equivalent, bake the potatoes at about 425F for roughly an hour, until the skins are dry and a skewer meets no resistance. The browning stage afterwards can be done at the same heat for 10 to 15 minutes, or under a broiler for 2 to 3 minutes if you want colour faster.
• Cut off one end, not the topOnly the open end is dipped in egg, which suggests the potato is meant to reach the table cut-end up. Scoop through the opening with a small spoon, leaving the shell about a quarter-inch thick so it holds its shape.
• Mash while hotPotato flesh turns gluey once it cools and is worked. Empty the shells as soon as you can handle them, mash with the butter immediately, then beat in the milk hot.
• The egg is a glaze, not a binderOnly the open face is dipped, so the egg sets into a glossy brown crust and cooks through in the second bake.
• Keep the shells dryReturn them to the oven for a few minutes while you mash. A dried shell crisps in the second bake instead of steaming soft under the filling.
• ServingFour stuffed potatoes serve four as a side dish, or two as a light supper with a green salad. They can be filled several hours ahead, refrigerated, and browned when needed, allowing about 25 minutes from cold.