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Show Jj FARM and HOME Mary Lois Reichert Mable Merrell Home Demonstration Agents FALL POTATOES (Now, as cool weather makes oven use more appealing, baking potatoes or bakers are plentiful on markets. These mature potato varieties are dry and fluffy when cooked and have the mealiness usually preferred for baking. They are also good mashed or french fried. Fall potatoes store well, say U. S. Department of Agriculture spec- ialists. Keep them in a place that is dark, dry and cool but not cold. Don't store them in tight containers con-tainers they keep better when ari can circulate around them. Though baking probably is the easiest way to cook potatoes. Department research suggests some points for best results. Choose potatoes of the same size so they will be done at the same time. Bake in a hot oven (425 deg. F) allowing about 50 to 60 minutes for medium-sized potatoes. Allow 10 to 20 minutes longer if you bake potatoes in the oven with foods requiring moderate heat. Internal In-ternal steam helps cook baked potatoes. Piercing skin lets this valuable steam escape, so instead of Jabbing potatoes with a fork to test for doneness, press to see if they feel soft. As soon as they come out of the oven, slash an "X" across the top, and by pressing press-ing force the ' inside up through the slit. Letting steam escape this way keeps the potato dry and mealy. Bakers are also ideal for stuffed baked potatoes. Bake large potatoes pota-toes until done and cut them lengthwise in halves. Scoop out and mask the insides with butter or margarine, salt, flaked salmon, grated cheese. Beat the mixture until fluffy, and pile back into the potato shell. Brush with melted butter or margarine and brown lightly in a hot oven (450 deg. F). Many homemakers like to get double use of oven heat by roasting roast-ing meat and potatoes together. Pare medium-sized potatoes and place them in the roasting pan, around the meat, 1 to 14 hours before it is done. Turn the potatoes pota-toes occasianally and baste with meat drippings. Now,' as always, potatoes are a bargain in food value. One medium-sized potato supplies B vita- mins, minerals and as much as a fifth of the recommended daily allowance of viatmin C. At the just-done point, potatoes are at their peak in nutritive value, taste and eye appeal, so avoid overcooking. |