Possum Roasted

Ingredients

• 1 possum
• possum inside fat
• 12 sweet potatoes
• salt
• pepper
• a trifle mustard
• a little boiling water

Instructions

1. Chill the possum thoroughly after scraping and drawing. Save all the inside fat and let it soak in weak salt water until cooking time. Rinse the fat well, then partly try it out in the roasting pan before adding the possum.
2. Unless the possum is very large, leave it whole, skewering it flat and laying it skin side up in the pan. The possum should have been lightly salted when hung up; now fully season it with salt, pepper, and a trifle of mustard.
3. Set in a hot oven and cook until crisply tender, taking care there is no scorching.
4. Meanwhile, roast a dozen good-sized sweet potatoes in ashes if possible; if not, bake them covered in a deep pan.
5. Peel the potatoes when done and lay them hot around the possum, turning them over and over in the abundant gravy until they are partly browned.
6. Dish the possum in a big platter, lay the potatoes around it, add a little boiling water to the pan, shake well, and pour the gravy over everything. Serve with hot corn bread, strong black coffee or sharp cider, and very hot sharp pickles.