Friday, June 8, 2012

Syracuse salt potatoes (recipe).


There is some fabulous food that comes out of New York. I grew up with chicken speedies, amazing buffalo wings, fresh venison, and don't even get me started on the fabulous pizza and bagels (anyone who wants to come visit us from back home is welcome, as long as they bring me a dozen bagels from Ithaca Bakery). 

One of my favorite treats growing up was these salt potatoes. They are buttery and salty on the outside, with a skin that almost pops when you bite into it. Inside, the potato is unbelievably creamy (the salt causes the water to boil at a higher temperature, which cooks the starches more completely). They are simply perfect.

These are so easy to make, and guaranteed to be a hit. There is A LOT of salt in the recipe, but bear in mind that most of it goes down the drain with the water. This recipe is adapted from the New York Times; the original recipe is here. There is also a nice history of the origins of the dish included in the article. 


Ingredients
3 pounds of small red or white potatoes
1.5 cups of kosher salt
8 cups of water (approximate)
1 stick of butter
black pepper

Instructions
1) Boil the water and salt. Add the potatoes, and cook until tender (20 - 30 minutes). Drain.

2) Melt the butter. Toss the potatoes, butter, and pepper together. Serve.

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3 comments:

  1. When I lived in Fayetteville NY years ago, I tried to make them like my sister-in-law did. I loved hers! No one told me to boil the water first.......gag and die time! We couldn't eat them! Lol My (then) husband had grown up eating them and even he thought they were awful! No one around here believes me when I try to tell them that grocery stores sell potatoes with bags of salt in them. Thanks for posting!

    ReplyDelete
  2. When I lived in Fayetteville NY years ago, I tried to make them like my sister-in-law did. I loved hers! No one told me to boil the water first.......gag and die time! We couldn't eat them! Lol My (then) husband had grown up eating them and even he thought they were awful! No one around here believes me when I try to tell them that grocery stores sell potatoes with bags of salt in them. Thanks for posting!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Oh no! Glad you figured it out in the long run :) People out here always look at me funny when I tell them about these potatoes. It's such a regional thing (even people I know from NYC have never had them).

      Delete

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