An unusual recipe for you!

The picture below shows some freshly caught codfish, to set the stage for the recipe to follow. 

A little background: Codfish balls were served at Ben Woodworth's party in Little Town on the Prairie. The Little House Cookbook, from which our recipe comes, has some historical information on cod. In Laura's growing-up years, ocean fish had to be salted, smoked, or canned, because the flash-freezing process hadn't yet been invented. These days, it's a little harder to find salt cod, since it's no longer a staple food. Nevertheless, I hope you enjoy these codfish balls if you decide to try the recipe. Laura described Mrs. Woodworth's codfish balls as "hot, creamy, brown" and (implied) delicious. Enjoy!

As usual, I've put ingredients and supplies in red for convenience. Please note that the recipe assumes you're serving the codfish balls for breakfast.

The night before serving, cover 1/2 pound moist salt cod in a 2-quart bowl with tap water, add 1 teaspoon vinegar, and let soak at room temperature.

Next morning, wash and peel 1 pound potatoes and place in a 6-cup saucepan. Simmer in water to cover until they break easily with a fork, about 20 to 25 minutes. While potatoes cook, drain the cod and flake into a 1-quart saucepan: start by removing any tough skin; then pull flesh apart in small pieces. Cover cod with water and simmer 15 minutes. Drain well and cool.

Rinse out the bowl, break 2 medium eggs into it, and beat them well with a fork. Break up the potatoes as you turn up the heat to cook away any remaining water. Remove from burner and mash with slotted spoon until smooth and cool. Turn potatoes and cod into bowl and beat well with eggs and pepper to taste.

Rinse potato saucepan and wipe until completely dry. Heat 1 pound lard in it until it is hot enough to brown a 1/2-inch cube of sliced bread in a minute (325 degrees Fahrenheit). Drop the codfish mixture in the hot fat by rounded teaspoonfuls, four or five at a time. The balls should brown in 1 to 1 1/2 minutes. Remove them when brown to a warm plate with brown paper to drain. Repeat with remaining mixture. Before serving, remove the paper from the plate.