Salt potatoes
Encyclopedia
Salt potatoes are a regional dish of Syracuse, New York
, typically served in the summer when the young potatoes are first harvested. They are a staple food at fair
s and barbecue
s. In the Central New York
region where they are the most popular, potatoes specifically intended for salt potatoes can be purchased by the bag along with packages of salt.
As the potatoes cook, the salty water forms a crust on the skin and seals the potatoes so they never taste water-logged like ordinary boiled potatoes often do. The potatoes have a unique texture closer to fluffy baked potatoes, only creamier. The standard recipe calls for one pound of salt for every four pounds of potatoes.
, New York
, area has a long history of salt production. Salt springs located around Onondaga Lake
were used to create consumable salt that was distributed throughout the northeast via the Erie Canal
. Salinated brine
was laid out to dry on large trays. The salt residue was then scraped up, ground, and packaged.
Salt potatoes originated in Syracuse
and once comprised the bulk of a salt worker's daily diet. During the 1800s, Irish salt miners would bring a bag of small, unpeeled, substandard potatoes to work each day. Come lunch time, they boiled the potatoes in the "free-flowing" salt brine.
favorite and a local entrepreneur, John Hinerwadel, started serving them as a side "at his famous clambakes." He later began packaging five-pound bags of potatoes along with a 12-ounce box of salt and labeled them Hinerwadel's Famous Original Salt Potatoes. The first packaged salt potatoes were sold in the 1960s. Today, Hinerwadel sells a million bags of salt potatoes annually.
es scrubbed and boiled in their skins. The proper size potatoes are Size B, Grade US No. 2. The potatoes are small and their appearance and shape are not important.
According to a recipe, the cooking water contains salt
in a ratio of one cup of salt to six cups of water, giving the dish its name, unique flavor, and texture. After cooking, salt potatoes are served with melted butter
.
The resulting potatoes are creamy, as the starch in the potatoes cooks more completely due to the higher boiling temperature of the extra-salty water. The salty skin stands up particularly well to both herbed and plain melted butter.
. Sometimes you peel the potatoes after the cooking, this is called Pellkartoffeln and is eaten with butter or quark.
Syracuse, New York
Syracuse is a city in and the county seat of Onondaga County, New York, United States, the largest U.S. city with the name "Syracuse", and the fifth most populous city in the state. At the 2010 census, the city population was 145,170, and its metropolitan area had a population of 742,603...
, typically served in the summer when the young potatoes are first harvested. They are a staple food at fair
Fair
A fair or fayre is a gathering of people to display or trade produce or other goods, to parade or display animals and often to enjoy associated carnival or funfair entertainment. It is normally of the essence of a fair that it is temporary; some last only an afternoon while others may ten weeks. ...
s and barbecue
Barbecue
Barbecue or barbeque , used chiefly in the United States, Canada, the United Kingdom, New Zealand and Australia is a method and apparatus for cooking meat, poultry and occasionally fish with the heat and hot smoke of a fire, smoking wood, or hot coals of...
s. In the Central New York
Central New York
Central New York is a term used to broadly describe the central region of New York State, roughly including the following counties and cities:...
region where they are the most popular, potatoes specifically intended for salt potatoes can be purchased by the bag along with packages of salt.
As the potatoes cook, the salty water forms a crust on the skin and seals the potatoes so they never taste water-logged like ordinary boiled potatoes often do. The potatoes have a unique texture closer to fluffy baked potatoes, only creamier. The standard recipe calls for one pound of salt for every four pounds of potatoes.
Background
The SyracuseSyracuse, New York
Syracuse is a city in and the county seat of Onondaga County, New York, United States, the largest U.S. city with the name "Syracuse", and the fifth most populous city in the state. At the 2010 census, the city population was 145,170, and its metropolitan area had a population of 742,603...
, New York
New York
New York is a state in the Northeastern region of the United States. It is the nation's third most populous state. New York is bordered by New Jersey and Pennsylvania to the south, and by Connecticut, Massachusetts and Vermont to the east...
, area has a long history of salt production. Salt springs located around Onondaga Lake
Onondaga Lake
Onondaga Lake is a lake in Central New York located northwest of Syracuse, New York. The southeastern end of the lake and the southwestern shore abut industrial areas and expressways; the northeastern shore and northwestern end border a series of parks and museums. Although it is near the Finger...
were used to create consumable salt that was distributed throughout the northeast via the Erie Canal
Erie Canal
The Erie Canal is a waterway in New York that runs about from Albany, New York, on the Hudson River to Buffalo, New York, at Lake Erie, completing a navigable water route from the Atlantic Ocean to the Great Lakes. The canal contains 36 locks and encompasses a total elevation differential of...
. Salinated brine
Brine
Brine is water, saturated or nearly saturated with salt .Brine is used to preserve vegetables, fruit, fish, and meat, in a process known as brining . Brine is also commonly used to age Halloumi and Feta cheeses, or for pickling foodstuffs, as a means of preserving them...
was laid out to dry on large trays. The salt residue was then scraped up, ground, and packaged.
Salt potatoes originated in Syracuse
Syracuse, New York
Syracuse is a city in and the county seat of Onondaga County, New York, United States, the largest U.S. city with the name "Syracuse", and the fifth most populous city in the state. At the 2010 census, the city population was 145,170, and its metropolitan area had a population of 742,603...
and once comprised the bulk of a salt worker's daily diet. During the 1800s, Irish salt miners would bring a bag of small, unpeeled, substandard potatoes to work each day. Come lunch time, they boiled the potatoes in the "free-flowing" salt brine.
Local favorite
By the early 1900s, the potatoes were a Central New YorkCentral New York
Central New York is a term used to broadly describe the central region of New York State, roughly including the following counties and cities:...
favorite and a local entrepreneur, John Hinerwadel, started serving them as a side "at his famous clambakes." He later began packaging five-pound bags of potatoes along with a 12-ounce box of salt and labeled them Hinerwadel's Famous Original Salt Potatoes. The first packaged salt potatoes were sold in the 1960s. Today, Hinerwadel sells a million bags of salt potatoes annually.
Preparation
Salt potatoes are bite-size "young" white potatoPotato
The potato is a starchy, tuberous crop from the perennial Solanum tuberosum of the Solanaceae family . The word potato may refer to the plant itself as well as the edible tuber. In the region of the Andes, there are some other closely related cultivated potato species...
es scrubbed and boiled in their skins. The proper size potatoes are Size B, Grade US No. 2. The potatoes are small and their appearance and shape are not important.
According to a recipe, the cooking water contains salt
Salt
In chemistry, salts are ionic compounds that result from the neutralization reaction of an acid and a base. They are composed of cations and anions so that the product is electrically neutral...
in a ratio of one cup of salt to six cups of water, giving the dish its name, unique flavor, and texture. After cooking, salt potatoes are served with melted butter
Butter
Butter is a dairy product made by churning fresh or fermented cream or milk. It is generally used as a spread and a condiment, as well as in cooking applications, such as baking, sauce making, and pan frying...
.
The resulting potatoes are creamy, as the starch in the potatoes cooks more completely due to the higher boiling temperature of the extra-salty water. The salty skin stands up particularly well to both herbed and plain melted butter.
Salt potatoes in Germany
In Germany they also have this sort of tradition, but there is not one company which all people buy their potatoes from, you only buy potatoes at the store and then cook them with salt. Sometimes you peel them before cooking, this is called Salzkartoffeln and is used in many german dishesGerman cuisine
German cuisine is a style of cooking derived from the nation of Germany. It has evolved as a national cuisine through centuries of social and political change with variations from region to region. The southern regions of Germany, including Bavaria and neighbouring Swabia, share many dishes....
. Sometimes you peel the potatoes after the cooking, this is called Pellkartoffeln and is eaten with butter or quark.
External links
- Salt Potatoes NY Times article and recipe for salt potatoes