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Baked Potato

Fruit and Vegetables

Whole large potato, baked, the top split and served with butter. Other toppings frequently encountered include baked beans, grated hard cheese, cottage cheese, prawns in sauce, tuna mayonnaise.


Young baked potato seller from Punch, December 24th 1887


Street baked potato sellers with mobile ovens began to appear at the end of the 18th Century and are discussed in detail in Henry Mayhew’s ‘London labour and the London poor‘ of 1864.


Original Receipt in ‘Acetaria: A Discourse of Sallets‘ by John Evelyn (Evelyn 1699)

20. Potato. The small green Fruit (when about the size of the Wild Cherry) being pickled, is an agreeable Sallet. But the Root being roasted under the Embers, or otherwise, open’d with a Knife, the Pulp is butter’d in the Skin, of which it will take up a good Quantity, and is seasoned with a little Salt and Pepper. Some eat them with Sugar together in the Skin, which has a pleasant Crimpness. They are also stew’d and bak’d in Pyes, &c.;




Original Receipt from ‘A Plain Cookery Book for the Working Classes‘ by Charles Elmé Francatelli (Francatelli 1846)

No. 137. BAKED OR ROASTED POTATOES.

You do not require that I should tell you that when you have no oven you can easily roast your potatoes by placing them on the hobs, bars, and under the fire-grate; and if you are attentive to their being well roasted, by turning them about now and then, so that they may be done all over alike, you need not be deprived of a baked potato for the want of an oven. When the potatoes are roasted, slightly squeeze each separately in a cloth, to make them mealy, then split them open; season them with a bit of butter, or dripping, a little bit of chopped shalot, pepper, and salt, and this will afford you a nice relish for supper.






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