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Salt Potatoes – A Syracuse Tradition

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Salt Potatoes are a staple recipe in upstate New York. These creamy, buttery, bite sized potatoes are simple to make and delicious, especially drizzled with melted butter. They make an amazing addition to your outdoor barbecue or cookout.

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Every area has their own regional specialty recipes, and Upstate New York is no exception.  Sure, there are other specialties like Utica Greens and Chicken Riggies, but salt potatoes are in a class all by themselves. This side dish is not something I had ever heard of until I  moved here and met my husband, who was born and raised in Syracuse.

They are very popular in the Syracuse area, and my in-laws have them at every picnic. They either bring a camp stove for cooking them or put a pot of water on a charcoal grill to make them. It is not a cookout if you don’t serve these potatoes with lots of melted butter for dipping or drizzling over the tiny salt encrusted potatoes.

Salt Potatoes - Upstate Ramblings

 

Now I know that to someone who has never tried them this recipe sounds odd, I mean it is just boiled potatoes. How good can they be? Well they are very, very good. Don’t let the simplicity of the recipe fool you, salt potatoes are the perfect combination of potatoes, salt and butter.

Potatoes with butter and salt on a wooden cutting board.

What Kind of Potatoes are used for Salt Potatoes?

The name pretty much gives away the ingredient list. But the potatoes are key, because you can’t use just any potatoes. 

This potato recipe is made with small, new potatoes that are bite size or about 1 – 1 1/2 inches in diameter. If you live in upstate New York all the grocery stores sell prepacked bags of salt potatoes, but you don’t need to buy them that way. The bags just contain potatoes and salt, there is no secret ingredient!

A person's hand holding a small potato for salt potatoes.

I prefer not to buy the prepackaged bags because I like to select my own potatoes. My family prefers our salt potatoes to be on the small size, and the bags tend to have potatoes that are closer to 2 to 2 1/2 inches. You can use small white or yellow potatoes. Red potatoes are not as creamy, and creamy potatoes is the entire point of this recipe, so don’t use red potatoes.

How Do You Make Salt Potatoes?

The recipe is embarrassingly simple. You put a pot of water on the stove, add the salt and bring it to a boil. The first time you make them you are going to be thinking, “Seriously, the amount of salt in this recipe is a misprint isn’t it?” But no, it’s not a misprint, and yes, you are supposed to add two full cups of salt.

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Even though this recipe is simple it isn’t foolproof. This recipe depends on the ratio between the salt and the water. So you do actually need to measure the amount of water you put in the pot. Don’t just fill the pot up, measure out 3 quarts of water.

You also want to be careful with the size of the pot you use for these potatoes. You will end up with salt crusted all over the pan that the potatoes cook in. If you choose a pan that is too small some of that salt will end up out of the pot and all over your stove. So minimize your cleanup and make the potatoes in a pot that is large for the amount of water you are using.

Potatoes simmering in a pot on a stove with salt.

Stir to dissolve the salt and then add the potatoes. Let them boil for 15-20 minutes until a fork slides easily into a potato. Then take them off the heat and drain them in a colander.

Frozen potatoes in a bowl on a wooden table.

 

Let the potatoes sit a couple minutes, and as the water evaporates from their skin a small crust of salt will appear on the potatoes. 

Chemistry of Salt Potatoes

The idea behind this dish is a simple chemical process. Adding salt to water increases the boiling point of the water. Adding so much salt to the water also creates a extremely super saturated solution of salt and water.

This has a number of effects. First the higher boiling temperature of the water means that the starch in the potatoes cooks more completely, making a creamier potato. Secondly the salt seals the skin of the potatoes, so that they don’t become soggy. And lastly as the potatoes cool the super saturated solution crystallizes on the potatoes, leaving them with a thin salt crust.

Potatoes with salt on a wooden cutting board.

 

Origin of this Recipe

Syracuse has a long history of salt production, since there are salt springs that feed Onondaga Lake and the area used to be a major producer of salt. Now a days I think most of the salt produced is used for de-icing roads, not eating. But since there is a lot of need for de-icing during the Syracuse winter that works out!

Tradition says that salt potatoes were popularized by the Irish miners who worked at the salt mines, brought potatoes to work for lunch and boiled the potatoes in the salty water. Who knows if this is true, but it certainly sounds believable.

Potatoes in a bowl next to a bowl of milk.

 

How to Serve 

Serve the potatoes with lots and lots of butter. Some people like to pour butter over the potatoes and some people like to dip the potatoes in melted butter. My family always melts butter for the salt potatoes, but they are sometimes served with pats of butter.

This salt potato recipe calls for a lot of potatoes. And you could halve the recipe, but why bother? Even if you aren’t making these for a crowd these potatoes are delicious as leftovers. If we have any leftovers I either make them into potato salad or fry them up. They are great as hash browns for breakfast or made into a hash with sausage for dinner.

A person is pouring salt onto a bowl of potatoes.

If you have never tried salt potatoes you should! Don’t be deceived by the simple recipe, these are potatoes on a whole a new level. The potatoes are tender, creamy, perfectly seasoned and filled with buttery goodness. Make some this summer and you will be serving them at all your cookouts too.

 
Frozen potatoes in a bowl on a wooden table.
4.45 from 25 votes

Salt Potatoes

Published By Anne
These creamy, buttery, bite sized salt potatoes are simple to make and delicious, especially covered in melted butter.
Prep Time5 minutes
Cook Time20 minutes
Total Time25 minutes
Servings: 12
Print Save Rate Pin

Ingredients
 

  • 4 1/4 pounds small new potatoes 1 1/2 inches diameter is ideal
  • 2 cups salt
  • 3 quarts water
  • 1/2 cup butter melted

Instructions

  • Put 3 quarts of water in a pot. Use a large one that won't overflow so you don't have to clean salt off the stove when you are done.
    3 quarts water
  • Add salt (all 2 cups) and bring the water to a boil. Stir to dissolve the salt.
  • Rinse the potatoes to remove any dirt, but don't peel.
    4 1/4 pounds small new potatoes
  • Add potatoes to the boiling water. Use a spoon to lower them in a few at a time so you don't splash yourself with boiling water.
  • Boil the potatoes for 15- 20 minutes, until a fork goes into the potato easily.
  • Dump the potatoes in a colander and let the water evaporate off so that a layer of salt crystallizes on the skins.
    2 cups salt
  • Serve with melted butter.
    1/2 cup butter

Notes

  • The ratio of salt to water is crucial to this recipe. So measure the amount of water you put into your pot. Don't just fill a big pot with water and add the salt and potatoes.

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Nutrition Information

Serving: 1g | Calories: 192kcal | Carbohydrates: 28g | Protein: 3g | Fat: 8g | Saturated Fat: 5g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 0.4g | Monounsaturated Fat: 2g | Trans Fat: 0.3g | Cholesterol: 20mg | Sodium: 18945mg | Potassium: 682mg | Fiber: 4g | Sugar: 1g | Vitamin A: 240IU | Vitamin C: 32mg | Calcium: 40mg | Iron: 1mg

Nutrition facts are estimates.

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bowl of salt potatoes

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Preparing salt potatoes by mixing them with butter in a bowl.
anne

Hi, I’m Anne!

I love to cook and I want to share my recipes with you. I believe cooking should be approachable and fun, not a chore. I want to make simple recipes using everyday ingredients that you can make again and again, whether it is for a busy weeknight, a summer cookout or a special dessert. Read more...

7 thoughts on “Salt Potatoes – A Syracuse Tradition”

  1. I love salt potatoes!! If you have extra, which most of us do after a large picnic, they make wonderful potato salad!

    Reply
    • I lived in Syracuse for many years before moving to NJ
      How I’ve missed salt potatoes
      Thank you for thisrecipe. Making them tomorrow

      Reply
  2. I love Salt Potatoes. I live in a small town close to Syracuse too and since my sister moved to Wisconsin ,she really misses these and Hofmann Hot Dogs & Coneys. We generally don’t add as much salt as some and they are still really Good. (& alittle better for you)
    Left overs make great homefries for breakfast the next morning 🙂

    Reply
  3. I’m so happy that I stumbled across this on Pinterest. I’m from Upstate New York and grew up eating salt potatoes nearly every summer. Salt potatoes and Hoffman hot dogs were my favorite summertime foods. Sadly I haven’t had the potatoes since I moved to New Hampshire. I was able to get my boyfriend to try Hoffman hot dogs when my mom came to visit us 3 summers ago. However, I’m not sure he’d like salt potatoes. Though I suppose it doesn’t hurt to get him to try them anyway. And I’ll definitely be using this recipe.

    Reply
  4. Syracuse born and raised, I left when I was 22 and this recipe (and the Utica greens…) brought me all the way home from Idaho. Thank you. Now I’m craving some snappy grillers!!!

    Reply
  5. My grandma was from the finger lakes are and she made these potatoes that were like roasted with lots of salt and covered with lard. Any idea to what these would have been called.???

    Reply
  6. Syracuse raised. While I moved north of Syracuse when I married my husband, thankfully, you still can find Hinerwadel’s salt potatoes. Love them!

    Reply

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