Salt Potatoes? [Archive] - RonFez.net Messageboard

Reephdweller

06-21-2006, 08:17 PM

This week at work we've been going through some major technical upgrades in my office and training for all the employees, so the company sent these two girls down from Syracuse. One of the girls struck up a conversation with me and a colleague of mine about regional foods, and she mentioned this thing called "Salt Potatoes", We had never heard of them, though she said something to the effect that these small "white" potatoes are cooked up with salt and then dipped in butter and that they are amazing and very popular up in Syracuse. Has anyone ever heard of them or tried them?<img height="386" src="http://www.101cookbooks.com/mt-static/images/food/saltpotatoes.jpg" width="285" border="0" />I found this website that talks about them as well..." SO WHAT are real salt potatoes, aka Syracuse salt potatoes? First, some background. Syracuse, because of its location near natural salt springs, was for many years the country’s most important salt producer. Thus its nickname – The Salt City – and the reason for its Salt Museum. (And also for the name given Syracuse University's abandoned, politically incorrect Indian mascot, The Saltine Warrior.) Salt potatoes were created in the mid-1800s in a Syracuse salt factory by workers who wanted a cheap and easy lunch. They boiled potatoes in factory brine; the result was much more than your ordinary boiled potatoes. Layered with salt, these tender treats are irresisitble, especially when dipped in melted butter. Apparently those workers used small potatoes, perhaps runts deemed too small for baking. Those tiny taters could have been farmer rejects, thus cheap because they were considered useless. But they were gold to Syracusan John Hinerwadel who saw their potential and in 1914 began serving salt potatoes as a side dish at his clambakes. (Hinerwadel’s clambakes are another Syracuse food tradition often mentioned during my Bluffton conversations.) Somewhere along the way, the Hinerwadel family began marketing the salt potatoes now sold in most Central New York supermarkets. The label describes them as U.S. No. 2 Potatoes, which means that, if full grown, they’d be good for baking. (Something you’d never say about the aforementioned red potatoes.) Hinerwadels salt potatoes are round, about the size of a large gumball, and shouldn’t be confused with pricy fingerling potatoes featured on some TV cooking shows. Fingerlings, as their name implies, look like short, stubby fingers. For the real thing, you don’t have to attend a Hinerwadels clambake or shop at a Central New York supermarket. Hinerwadels salt potatoes can be ordered via <a href="http://www.tasteofcny.com/">www.tasteofcny.com</a>. They are sold with the salt you cook them in. Just follow the simple directions. You can’t miss."<a href="http://major-smolinski.com/TALEfood.html">http://major-smolinski.com/TALEfood.html</a>

This message was edited by Reefdweller on 6-22-06 @ 12:21 AM

Death Metal Moe

06-21-2006, 08:20 PM

Salt and butter?Well no shit, what doesn't taste good in salt and butter?I'd still like to try them though.

suggums

06-21-2006, 08:23 PM

i heard earls got some salt potatoesit looks like they just made chips and skipped the whole "slice the potato" step

This message was edited by suggums on 6-22-06 @ 12:25 AM

TooLowBrow

06-21-2006, 08:27 PM

sounds healthy

Reephdweller

06-21-2006, 08:36 PM

toolowbrow wrote: sounds healthy Since when has this board been about healthy?<a href="http://www.ronfez.net/messageboard/viewmessages.cfm/Forum/52/Topic/49388/page/The_best_sammich____EVER_.htm">http://www.ronfez.net/messageboard/viewmessages.cfm/Forum/52/Topic/49388/page/The_best_sammich____EVER_.htm</a><img height="629" src="http://www.roadfood.com/photos/7147.jpg" width="464" border="0" />

suggums

06-21-2006, 08:39 PM

suggums wrote: first of all, take 3 pieces of bread and toast them.take the first two toasted pieces and slather them with marshmellow fluff and nutellatoast the third and then put crunchy pb on one side, slap it down on the fluffthen slather the otherside with more crunchy pb and slap down the nutella on top.triple decker, magically delicious <a href="http://www.ronfez.net/messageboard/viewmessages.cfm/Forum/87/Topic/50852/page/Prominant_Boardmember_Pisses_off_Senator_" target="_self">here</a> 

This message was edited by suggums on 6-22-06 @ 12:40 AM

kdubya

06-21-2006, 08:40 PM

I have never been into salt potatos, I am a "new potatos" man

TooLowBrow

06-21-2006, 08:53 PM

to get the most from celery, perhaps sprinkle some salt. But even without, it's delicious and nutritious! <img width="179" height="230" border="0" src="http://www.glendathegood.com/images/nutritious.gif" alt="marge" title="marge" />

Coach

06-21-2006, 10:28 PM

Yeah they are called early botato chips!actually, I had them a long time ago on a drive to Texas....after 2 days without food they were YUMMY

This message was edited by Coach on 6-22-06 @ 2:29 AM

ChimneyFish

06-23-2006, 01:24 PM

Death Metal Moe wrote: Salt and butter?Well no shit, what doesn't taste good in salt and butter?I'd still like to try them though.First off, let me say, "did this thread descend from heaven????" A thread about potatoes????     And you make a good point, Moe.Just about anything tastes good, if you add salt, butter, or cheese.

feralBoy

06-23-2006, 01:34 PM

I made salt potatoes once, because I heard people rave about them.  They gave me a headache.  They were just too salty for me.  They aren't really even that salty, it's just like a thin salt coating.  Just not my thing. 

joeyballsack

06-24-2006, 02:40 PM

Salt potatoes are the greatest. They are basically new potatoes that come in a bag with a pouch of salt included. The more salt the better for me, but you can salt them as much or as little as you like according to your taste. I also like to smash them up and slather even more butter on them with a little sour cream also. The taste is worth the damage I am doing to my heart.

narc

06-24-2006, 02:59 PM

For most of my life, I haven't had anything else. Growing up, 5 of us could easily demolish a 2 pound bag of them. They're great with any sort of steak in particular. We'd usually use olive oil though and not butter.

niciggy

06-24-2006, 03:59 PM

Seriously, how BORED am I on the weekend without a show to listen to that I actually read and reply to a thread about freaking salt and butter on potatoes.  suggums-did you grow up in New England?  No one locally usually knows about "fluff" or for that matter coffee milk.

Tenbatsuzen

06-24-2006, 06:30 PM

When I went to school in West Virginia, all the rage was "Pepperoni rolls". <a href="http://www.fscwv.edu/users/rheffner/pepperoniroll/what.htm" target="_self">The West Virginia Delicacy</a> My sister-in-law makes a modified version of them when I hang out with my brother.  Give me some pepperoni rolls and a six pack of Natty Light, and it's like I'm 19 again. Of course, there's also the Fat Cat Sandwich, available at the grease trucks at Rutgers University. If you've never had one, well, then... sucks to be you.