Codfish Balls

Original Recipe

Take a pint bowl of codfish picked very fine, two pint bowls of whole raw peeled potatoes, sliced thickly; put them together in plenty of cold water and boil until the potatoes are thoroughly cooked; remove from the fire and drain off all the water. Mash them with the potato masher, add a piece of butter the size of an egg, one well-beaten egg, and three spoonfuls of cream or rich milk. Flour your hands and make into balls or cakes. Put an ounce each of butter and lard into a frying pan; when hot, put in the balls and fry a nice brown. Do not freshen the fish before boiling with the potatoes. Many cooks fry them in a quantity of lard similar to boiled doughnuts.

Ingredients

grocery
  • 1 pint bowl of codfish picked very fine
  • 2 pint bowls of whole raw peeled potatoes
  • 1 piece of butter the size of an egg
  • 10 egg
  • 3 spoonfuls of cream or rich milk
  • 1 frying pan
  • 1 nice brown
  • 1 quantity of lard similar to boiled doughnuts

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Instructions

  1. 1

    Take a pint bowl of codfish picked very fine, two pint bowls of whole raw peeled potatoes, sliced thickly; put them together in plenty of cold water and boil until the potatoes are thoroughly cooked; remove from the fire and drain off all the water.

  2. 2

    Mash them with the potato masher, add a piece of butter the size of an egg, one well-beaten egg, and three spoonfuls of cream or rich milk.

  3. 3

    Flour your hands and make into balls or cakes.

  4. 4

    Put an ounce each of butter and lard into a frying pan; when hot, put in the balls and fry a nice brown.

  5. 5

    Do not freshen the fish before boiling with the potatoes.

  6. 6

    Many cooks fry them in a quantity of lard similar to boiled doughnuts.

Sources & Citations

Sources included so you can explore further.

Recipe by Mrs. F.L. Gillette from The White House Cook Book (1887)