A week or so ago I came across a recipe for Syracuse Salt Potatoes. It was fascinating. You put a TON of salt in a pot of water, dump in some tiny baby potatoes (unposed), let come to a boil, then boil for 15 – 20 minutes. Some magic happens. The salt raises the boiling point of the water so they cook hotter, steaming the inside of the potatoes. The inside of the potato doesn’t get salty because it is protected by the skin, which is a good thing, because if they absorbed all that salt you’d be dead. When they are done, you pour off the water and watch the water evaporate, leaving a dusty coating of salt while the skin shrivels. It’s magical! Kathryn’s daughter said, “They look like giant peanuts. No, dinosaur eggs. They’re dinosaur peanuts!” Here’s a bad photo:
You serve them with toothpicks and melted butter. They are so crazy good! It was a fun experiment and I’ll have to try it again sometime.
Again, it is so. much. salt. Here’s the stovetop afterward.