from Country magazine
From a cookbook published in the 1970s: Old-Fashioned Recipe Book, An Encyclopedia of Country Living.
Ingredients
Peel and slice very thin one medium potato into a 1 or 2 qt. sized glass casserole dish (preferably a Russet). To the sliced potato add:
1 TB sugar
1 tsp salt
2 TB yellow or white cornmeal (fresh stone-ground works best, see notation at the bottom of recipe)
2 c boiling water
Mix well, place the lid on the casserole dish and wrap the dish in a heavy terrycloth bath towel. Put in a warm place to ferment, such as an oven which has a pilot light burning. Let stand overnight until very bubbly. This can take from 8 to 14 hours (most often 10-12). At this stage, the starter will have an odor vaguely like that of sharp cheddar cheese. (Note: If the starter has not fermented at the end of 14 hours, discard it and try again.)
After fermenting, remove the potatoes from the dish and pour the remaining liquid into a mixing bowl. Add:
1 c very warm milk
1 tsp salt
1 TB sugar
1/8 tsp baking soda
3 TB melted shortening or salad oil
2 c all-purpose flour
Instructions
Mix well until smooth, cover the top of the mixing bowl with plastic wrap and set the bowl in a pan of very hot water. Place in oven or other warm place to rise until very light and bubbly. This can take 1 or 2 hours. When the batter has reached this stage, sift into it 3
