Civil War Cooking Tutorial:

SWEET POTATO BALLS

Original recipe:

Get fine large potatoes, boil them, peel, and mash them fine and rub them through a cullender; add to the pulp a little butter, sugar, nutmeg and cinnamon; work it well together, make it into small balls, lay them on buttered tin sheets, and bake them a light brown in a brisk oven. Send them to the tea-table very warm. They are also nice for breakfast.

Source:

Bryant, Mrs. Lettice: The Kentucky Housewife, Shepard & Stearns, Cincinnati, 1839.

Modern Day Adaptations:

We used four potatoes, selecting those which were closely matched in dimensions and as thin as possible so they would be cooked through at the same time. They boil tender much faster than white potatoes and should be taken out of the water as soon as they feel soft when tested with a knife or skewer. Let them cool just enough to handle and the peel will slip off without the need of a knife. Attempting to push them through the holes of a colander was both messy and unsuccessful, but a plain flat grater worked perfectly. Skip the mixing altogether, it turns the potatoes to mush. You are at liberty to spice as you like, but we used 2 tbs. butter, 1/4 c sugar, and 1 tsp. each of the other spices.

Results:

This one took two tries to get right, as the first batch (beaten with an electric mixer) produced mush incapable of being turned into anything resembling a ball. Boil, peel, grate and spice, then bake--we put them in with another dish which was cooking at 350 for about a half hour. It's hard to tell when something turns brown when it was orange to begin with. A better indicator is to tap one gently with a fingertip; when it's as hard as you want it to be, it's done. These were very popular, rated between 8-9, and would do well as a side dish with just about any meal.