Bolesława Starmachowa started with a short introduction on the nutritional value and preservation of potatoes, but what is most interesting are the recipes, divided into categories (including soups, salads, meat dishes, vegetarian dishes, sauces and desserts and in alphabetical order).
Some of them are well-known to a modern reader: potato soup (kartoflanka), potato salads (with pickles, eggs and mayo or with herring), mashed potatoes, pierogi ruskie with potatoes and cheese as well as crispy placki ziemniaczane (potato pancakes), all of which can still be found on Polish tables today.
Other ideas seem more exotic or at least old fashioned: herring stuffed with potatoes seems normal enough at first glance, but the author advises to put the potato, herring and apple mixture on the plate in the shape of a fish and then decorate it with herring heads and tails. Potato sauce made with caramel, lemon juice and tomato seems quite unconventional as does potato legumina – a dessert resembling the better-known budyń (a thick variety of custard made with milk, sugar, potato starch and flavourings such as vanilla or chocolate) – which is made with mashed potatoes, eggs, sugar and breadcrumbs.
Some methods and ingredients can raise an eyebrow: many recipes involve making a roux (zasmażka) which is now common only among more traditional cooks, in others swede appears – a vegetable now pretty much forgotten (although, maybe it will make a comeback just as kale did) – others include mutton, which isn’t usually associated with Polish cuisine.
Resourcefulness was essential, so the author offered advice on what to do with yesterday’s roast or scraps of ham; even the simplest recipes can be even more simplified, according to the availability of ingredients: potato soup with vegetables can be made... without the vegetables, only with dill; stock can be substituted with water; it’s cheaper to make a mayonnaise with a roux as a base instead of achieving creaminess through adding lots of oil; potatoes can substitute half the meat in a pâté.
The list of ingredients in the whole book might seem short and the dishes repetitive – we see lots of recipes using mushrooms, herring and cabbage – but it’s actually really impressive, how much the author manages to do with such a limited pantry. Let’s take a look at two recipes which seem like a good bet for anyone today cooking on a tight budget: