I recently spied Edna Lewis' The Taste of Country cookbook in a used bookstore. The quote on the cover -- "She evokes the tantalizing aromas of a farm kitchen. She brings back the fresh, natural tastes of the wonderful cooking she was raised on in Virginia. She shares old family recipes in menus that make the most of each season's bounty" -- piqued my interest; the recipes and asides in the book itself ('bout country ham and fresh berries and Christmas meals) made me say, "Damn, I'm buyin' this book!"
I tried my first recipe from The Taste of Country Cooking tonight: Scalloped Potatoes. Man, they were good! Here's the recipe, straight from the book:
Edna Lewis' Scalloped Potatoes (serves 8)
Ingredients
2 lbs white potatoes
1/2 cup butter
1 pint whole milk
Freshly ground black pepper
Salt
Directions
Peel and slice raw potatoes thin. Layer them in the [2-quart casserole, buttered]. Sprinkle each layer with pepper and salt, and dot over with butter. Repeat the process until casserole is filled. Arrange the top layer in a circle or rectangle design according to the design of the dish. Pour in enough milk to reach just under the top layer of potatoes. Dot the top liberally with butter and set in center of an oven preheated to 350 degrees. Bake for 60 minutes. When finished, the top should have a nice crusty top.
Note: The casserole may be rubbed with garlic if desired. Also, the layers of potatoes may be sprinkled with finely chopped garlic.
Just so you know ... I added onions and rubbed my pan with garlic. You knew that already, though, didn't you?!
3 comments:
joltin when are you going to come clean and tell us if there is a lady in your life or not? you dont know how sexy a guy who will cook and can be good at it is. even if your involved can i come over sometime and eat dinner?
That looks great, sir. One question, though: what does "dot with butter" mean? Does that just mean one pat of butter for each layer, or does it mean something else?
Amanda: You're the lady in my life!
BP: A "dot" of butter means about a half-tablespoon. I put several "dots" of butter on every "level" of my scalloped potatoes, and just as much on the the top. Hope that helps.
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