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Stuffed Potatoes with Anchovies
Thoroughly wipe eight medium, peeled, raw potatoes, place in a roasting pan and set in oven for forty-five minutes, turning them once in a while. Remove, cut them in two lengthwise, thoroughly scoop out insides, place meat in a bowl, add an ounce butter, twelve anchovies in oil cut in small pieces, a half teaspoon salt, three saltspoons pepper and a saltspoon grated nutmeg. Sharply stir with a wooden spoon until smooth, then gradually pour in a half gill hot milk, sharply stirring while adding it. With a spoon fill up cavities of twelve shells (only) of potatoes with the puree, lay them in a tin, sprinkle a little grated Parmesan cheese over and place a little bit of butter on top of each potato. Set in oven for fifteen minutes, remove, dress on a hot dish with a folded napkin and serve.
A straightforward twice-baked potato from the Italian pages of the book, with anchovy standing in for salt and richness. The measurements are the main obstacle, along with an oven temperature the original never states.
- Saltspoon and gillA saltspoon is a quarter teaspoon, so three saltspoons of pepper is 3/4 teaspoon and a saltspoon of nutmeg is 1/4 teaspoon. A gill is half a cup, making the half gill of hot milk 1/4 cup.
- Oven heatNo temperature is given for either baking. Use 400F for the first 45 minutes and the same for the 15-minute finish; the second pass is only to heat through and brown the cheese.
- Peeled before bakingThe instruction to peel the potatoes raw and roast them bare is deliberate but unforgiving — the exposed surfaces dry and toughen. Baking them in their skins and peeling the halves after scooping gives a better texture, though you lose the tidy shell the recipe wants.
- Twelve shells onlyEight potatoes halved gives sixteen shells; the filling stretches to twelve, and the original says so plainly. The four spares are simply surplus, so pick the twelve best and set the rest aside for another use.
- SaltTwelve anchovy fillets plus Parmesan carry a great deal of salt already. Taste the puree before adding the half teaspoon of salt called for.
- Working the puree"Sharply stir with a wooden spoon" is the right advice and a food processor is not — overworked potato turns to glue. A ricer or masher, then the hot milk beaten in by hand.
- Yield and servingTwelve filled halves should serve about six as a side dish or four as a light supper course. The folded napkin is a stock direction in period service, usually explained as absorbing steam and keeping the dish from sliding; a warmed platter does the same work.
Anchovies preserved in oil or salt were a long-standing way of putting savoury depth into a dish before bouillon cubes and bottled sauces — melted into butter, mashed into potato, dissolved past recognition. This recipe belongs to the section of the book surveying national cookery, and stuffed, twice-baked potatoes were familiar in both restaurant and household cooking of the period. The folded napkin and the direction to fill only twelve shells read like the habits of a professional kitchen adapted for domestic use.