Lady Florida. Posted June 30, 2017 Share Posted June 30, 2017 Anyone from the Syracuse NY area? I just learned about salt potatoes this week and want to make them. I bought some small, white, creamers because apparently those are the "correct" potatoes to use. Is there an authentic way to make salt potatoes? Or do you just dump potatoes and a load of salt into the pot and cook them? I've found recipes online and have seen differing ratios of salt to water. BTW, dh does something similar when he makes baked potatoes on the grill. He rubs olive oil and kosher salt on the skin before putting them in foil. They're delicious! I'm thinking salt potatoes on the stove will be similar. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SparklyUnicorn Posted June 30, 2017 Share Posted June 30, 2017 That's all you do. Load up the pot with salt and cook them. I don't know the ratio. They sell salt potato packs in the store here (salt packet with the little potatoes). It's a lot of salt. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lecka Posted June 30, 2017 Share Posted June 30, 2017 (edited) We just moved 70 miles North of Syracuse and I have bought "state fair" (brand) potatoes twice. They do come with a little bag of salt. Iirc there are microwave directions where you cook a couple of potatoes with 2 tbsp of salt. I had never had them before and I like them :) The stove directions are "cover potatoes with an inch of water and add salt." It is a lot of salt. The water just gets drained so I doubt it matters too much. (As far as I know, they are new to me too, I just tried them when I saw them at the store.) Edited June 30, 2017 by Lecka Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MFG Posted June 30, 2017 Share Posted June 30, 2017 If I recall correctly from when we lived in Central New York, the bags of salt potatoes in the supermarket were 5 lb., 4 lb. of potatoes and 1 lb. salt. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
umsami Posted June 30, 2017 Share Posted June 30, 2017 I read about these in "Cook's Country" years ago. When we were living in the Albany region, you could actually buy a bag of potatoes that came with a giant packet of salt to make them. They were mighty tasty, and not as salty as I expected. Mmmmmm.....salt. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lady Florida. Posted June 30, 2017 Author Share Posted June 30, 2017 I read about these in "Cook's Country" years ago. When we were living in the Albany region, you could actually buy a bag of potatoes that came with a giant packet of salt to make them. They were mighty tasty, and not as salty as I expected. Mmmmmm.....salt. I heard about them on an Instant Pot facebook group. Someone asked about making salt potatoes in the IP. Most of us said, "Salt potatoes? What are those?" :D Looked them up and they sound really good. Since I cant buy the kit here, I was just going to follow a recipe that has you add your own salt. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
regentrude Posted June 30, 2017 Share Posted June 30, 2017 (edited) This looks like the standard way to prepare potatoes back home, with our without the skin on. (Skin on for new potatoes, peeled for old ones) I salt the water like I would for pasta or rice. You don't want to make it super salty. A 1:6 ratio of salt to water like mentioned in the link sounds disgusting. You can always sprinkle salt on the cooked potatoes. We eat them with butter, a fresh salad, and scrambled eggs. My favorite summer meal. Edited June 30, 2017 by regentrude Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lady Florida. Posted June 30, 2017 Author Share Posted June 30, 2017 This looks like the standard way to prepare potatoes back home, with our without the skin on. (Skin on for new potatoes, peeled for old ones) I salt the water like I would for pasta or rice. You don't want to make it super salty. A 1:6 ratio of salt to water like metioned in the link sounds disgusting. No, this is different. It's not like salting for pasta or rice. From what I've read you get a nice salt flavor, not a super salty one. As I said, dh does this with baking potatoes on the grill and it's very good. Not too salty at all. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
umsami Posted June 30, 2017 Share Posted June 30, 2017 This looks close to what I did. The salt was fine salt, too. I had expected Kosher salt. http://allrecipes.com/recipe/141785/syracuse-salt-potatoes/ Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lady Florida. Posted June 30, 2017 Author Share Posted June 30, 2017 This looks like the standard way to prepare potatoes back home, with our without the skin on. (Skin on for new potatoes, peeled for old ones) Actually, it's with skin on and not cut. If you cut them they'll definitely be too salty. Apparently the lower boiling point caused by the salt makes the potatoes creamier and less starchy. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
regentrude Posted June 30, 2017 Share Posted June 30, 2017 (edited) Actually, it's with skin on and not cut. If you cut them they'll definitely be too salty. Apparently the lower boiling point caused by the salt makes the potatoes creamier and less starchy. Actually, salt elevates the boiling point of water - but only very slightly. https://www.thoughtco.com/adding-salt-lower-boiling-point-water-607363 Edited June 30, 2017 by regentrude Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lakeside Posted June 30, 2017 Share Posted June 30, 2017 Yum! We love salt potatoes. If you have any leftover, they make great potato salad! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
creekland Posted June 30, 2017 Share Posted June 30, 2017 I've always made my own adding my own salt (& butter) to the water and using small potatoes from our garden. I grew up in upstate NY eating them, but had no idea they sold them with the salt packets. Seems like a way to charge more for salt than one has to pay TBH. They are super tasty. I think you're not supposed to use pots with a non-stick finish because the salt can ruin them over time? Not sure. I've heard it - but it's 100% hearsay. I always use either glass pots or stainless steel. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Spryte Posted July 1, 2017 Share Posted July 1, 2017 (edited) Yum. I've never made them, but have many family/friends from that area. They make them: I enjoy. Mmmmmm. ETA: and soon after, they break out a pack of "cheese curds" and I slowly back away... Edited July 1, 2017 by Spryte Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MedicMom Posted July 1, 2017 Share Posted July 1, 2017 I'm from upstate New York. Salt potatoes and cheese curds are the summer way of life here. Delicious. I usually buy the potatoes in the package, but you can just dump salt in. I also throw a stick of butter in. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Spryte Posted July 1, 2017 Share Posted July 1, 2017 I'm from upstate New York. Salt potatoes and cheese curds are the summer way of life here. Delicious. I usually buy the potatoes in the package, but you can just dump salt in. I also throw a stick of butter in. Oh! That reminds me, my family/friends serve salt potatoes with melted butter on the side, that you pour over. Is that regional, too? I love regional foods, and in truth think cheese curds are pretty interesting. I saw some recently in Target and giggled. We're in VA, and I've never even heard of them here till now. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Annie G Posted July 1, 2017 Share Posted July 1, 2017 Oh! That reminds me, my family/friends serve salt potatoes with melted butter on the side, that you pour over. Is that regional, too? I love regional foods, and in truth think cheese curds are pretty interesting. I saw some recently in Target and giggled. We're in VA, and I've never even heard of them here till now. Cheese curds are the best. I love taking visitors to the Dane County farmer's market in Madison, Wisconsin, where vendors brag about how squeaky their curds are. Fresh curds squeak when you chew them. I've never had salt potatoes but I'm going to make them this weekend. Yum!!! 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HeWillSoar Posted July 1, 2017 Share Posted July 1, 2017 I learned about these from my New York friend not too long ago. They are so good! 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
creekland Posted July 1, 2017 Share Posted July 1, 2017 I'm from upstate New York. Salt potatoes and cheese curds are the summer way of life here. Delicious. Cheese curd! Where's the drooling emoticon??? Ah, there it is! :drool5: We ALWAYS buy cheese curd (River Rat being the BEST) when we're there and when we return home. We also bring some back for those who watch our farm... they're addicted now too. ..Yea, I'm not getting it. People raved about them when we moved here. It's a bag of small potatoes and a bunch of salt. They taste like salty boiled potatoes. That's it. Sort of like how people go nuts for a "Rochester garbage plate". Hello, it's a hot dog and burger meat sitting in a mound of fries, beans, and macaroni. But cheese curds are the best. I like salt potatoes (with butter added to the water). I agree with being mystified about Garbage Plates... we've switched to other preferences when in the area (Sticky Lips, Jays, Monroe Kabob, all come to mind). And yes to cheese curd... absolutely yes... and it must be squeaky to be super good. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mrs_JWM Posted July 1, 2017 Share Posted July 1, 2017 Native Syracusan here - salt potatoes are definitely our most famous local food. 😊 For anyone who doesn't know the story - Irish immigrants working at the salt companies would put their potatoes in the evaporators where they were boiling brine. We have a salt museum here and everything... It's traditional to pour melted butter over them or dip them in it. They're often served at clam bakes, so you've already got plenty of little pots of melted butter hanging around. Sent from my Moto G (4) using Tapatalk 4 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AngieW in Texas Posted July 2, 2017 Share Posted July 2, 2017 I had never even heard of salt potatoes before, so I found a recipe online and made it tonight: http://allrecipes.com/recipe/141785/syracuse-salt-potatoes/ It was a huge hit. I will definitely be making it again. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lady Florida. Posted July 2, 2017 Author Share Posted July 2, 2017 I made these last night and they were very good. Not amazing out-of-this-world good, but good. The skin didn't get crackly as the recipe says they will (and I followed it exactly) but they had a nice, lightly salted flavor. And the inside was nice and creamy. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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