Delmonico's Restaurant, 1903, corner of Fifth Avenue and 44th Street

From Wikipedia:

Delmonico’s Restaurant was one of the first continuously run restaurants in the United States and is considered to be one of the first American fine dining establishments. The first iteration opened in New York City in 1827, originally in a rented pastry shop at 23 William Street. It was first listed as a restaurant in 1830. Unlike the inns that existed at the time, a restaurant like Delmonico’s would permit patrons to order from a menu (à la carte, as opposed to table d’hôte), rather than requiring its patrons to eat fixed meals. Later, Delmonico’s was also the first in the United States to use a separate wine list. It operated at a number of locations continuously from 1827 to 1923; the name has since been revived periodically over recent decades by other restauranteurs having no continuity with the original establishment.

Now that we’ve established the provenance of this week’s recipe, let’s get down to business, cause this week there was SUCCESS at last!  If you’ve been reading my former posts, in particular my attempt at Juddy’s Celery Cutlets, you’ll know that cooking my way through my treasure trove of heirloom recipes hasn’t always resulted in culinary greatnessIn fact, this recipe turned out so well that I’ve already made it twice and even successfully doubled the recipe on the second go-round.  I had a feeling this would go over well with my family because, well, potatoes and boys….

I do have a feeling that this recipe is quite old because of the origins of the Delmonico recipes.  According to ‘The Food Lover’s Companion’, Delmonico Potatoes were,

Named after the 19^th century New York restaurant of the same name whose owner-chef created this dish.  It consists of cooked and creamed diced (or mashed) potatoes topped with grated cheese and buttered breadcrumbs, then baked until golden brown.

I’m sure that during the early part of last century, potatoes were a staple for just about every family America. Besides being an economical dish to make for family, friends or large gatherings it provided ample nutritive value.  ‘The Food Lover’s Companion’ adds that,

Potatoes are not at all hard on the waistline ( a 6-ounce potato contains only about 120 calories) and pack a nutritional punch.  They’re low in sodium, high in potassium and an important source of complex carbohydrates and vitamins C and B-6, as well as a storehouse of minerals.

This is a super simple recipe and one that can be prepared ahead of time and then thrown in the oven later.  This is the recipe as it was written;

Delmonico Potatoes

Cut 5 cold potatoes into fine dice.

Make a white sauce from 1 tablespoon butter, 1 tablespoon flour, 1 cup milk and salt and pepper to season.  Toss the potatoes in the sauce, turn into a baking dish, sprinkle the top thickly with ½ cup grated cheese and bake until it is a light brown.

To begin with, I began like all women (and men) have done since potatoes found a way into our diets. I peeled ‘em!  This simple activity unites us all across time and place. Peelers are simple instruments that have changed little over the years. The activity is at times dreaded but I look upon it as time alone with my thoughts.  It’s so wholly consuming that its almost a little meditative, peeling being such a mundane task in our very harried world. We need something every now and again to force us to slow down.  I am amazed that we can now venture into any super market and purchase frozen, peeled and diced potatoes.  They can even come pre-seasoned ready to be microwaved in the plastic bag they were purchased in!  I just can’t go that far.  If I’m cooking for my family I want to take the time to pick out the spuds personally.  It just feels right.  In Russ Parsons book, ‘How to Pick a Peach’ he has this to say about potatoes,

By 1970 fresh and processed potatoes were grown in roughly equal amounts, and then fast food took off.  In 1999 Americans ate 63 pounds of frozen potatoes per person (mostly French fries), compared to 50 pounds of fresh.

I decided to boil the potatoes in salted water until they were softened but not as soft as you would cook them for mashed potatoes.  Then I let them cool.  About that time my husband came home.

How convenient.  He offered (not really) to slice the spuds and put them through a vegetable dicer we have.  It’s a simple and inexpensive little gadget that I picked up for under $15.00 many years ago but Its utility in my kitchen cannot be underestimated.  If any of you went to see the movie Julie and Julia then you know that there was an enormous amount of incredibly expensive cookware showcased throughout the movie.  I’m sure Le Creuset and Calphalon along with Cuisinart were major sponsors and I’m not saying that’s necessarily a bad thing, it happens in every film.  My concern is that the impression may be given that those specific tools are required to make things happen in your own kitchen and that couldn’t be further from the truth.  Simple is always better and saving money is always en vogue.  As a matter of fact I still cook in the same pots and pans that were given to me 23 years ago when I became engaged!  I cook in a small galley kitchen so new purchases have to be thought out carefully and I believe that we are at the point that if a new thing comes into the kitchen then some other thing has to leave!

Once the potatoes were diced, I got busy with the white sauce.  I followed the directions as written but honestly, I’ve made white sauce so often that it comes without thought now.  If there’s one piece of advice I would give to anyone new to the cooking experience it would be to learn how to whip up a good white sauce.  You have to be patient while stirring and waiting for the sauce to thicken but the result is always well worth it.

When the sauce was ready I mixed it in with the diced potatoes and turned the whole mess into a baking dish which I did spray with cooking oil out of habit.  I’m sure those cans of spray-on cooking oil would have seemed like a gift from heaven to our grandmothers!  I covered the baking dish with aluminum foil because I knew the potatoes still had some cooking to do and set the oven to 350º which was just a guess.  Feeling, not knowing, there there was only 15 minutes of cooking left I removed the foil and added the cheese to brown.  As the cheese did its thing my sons started to show up.  Amazing.  Even a friend of theirs found his way to the kitchen at which point I kicked everyone out until I was ready for the devastation to begin!

When I cooked this recipe the second time I increased the temperature to 375º to cut down on the length of time the potatoes had to bake.  This helped me get the food to the teenagers quicker and that is what it’s all about at this age, isn’t it?