The Noble Spud

Margaret Bremmer was an artist and illustrator in Chesterville, Ontario.

“Oh goody,” I thought when I first saw this book, some recipes we can afford!” On closer examination, I was delighted to note not only affordability but a scrumptious variety of ways to prepare the humble and noble spud. The authors, who previously gave us The Pie’s the Limit, so enjoyed the research and testing for this book that they took their family of four through 25 pounds of potatoes a week. Here they give us 130 recipes for soups, salads, main dishes, side dishes, and snacks, from traditional to innovative, from yen basic french fries and baked potatoes to cakes and candy, including some interesting Finnish dishes from Rick’s side of the family.

Following the delightful introduction are descriptions of the four main types of potato found in North America and in Britain, and information about nutrition, storage, methods of cooking, and freezing. The four color photos by Hal Roth show ten dishes, and each page is decorated by an appropriate little pen-and-ink drawing by Christine Oleksyk. The index is very good, with listings not only by title but by major ingredients and types of dish. The recipes are easy to follow, listing all the ingredients first, followed by oven temperature, directions, and number of servings. In general, there is one recipe per page.

Each time I leaf through this book I discover another recipe or two that I want to try. This is definitely a book worth having.