Potatoes in a Salted Crust – the Dream of a Salt Marsh
Like me, potatoes are able to absorb a lot of salt. The tangy saltiness is quickly tempered by the creamy, slightly bitter potato flesh, creating a combination of flavors that I never get tired of. Potato chips, french fries, and a fully loaded potato skin all delightfully demonstrate this fact, but the purest iteration of the pairing might be this boiled potato with a salty rind.
Boiled potatoes are admittedly one of the most boring potato dishes. Water doesn’t add much flavor or texture, but a healthy spoon or two of salt solves both problems. Potatoes are boiled in a rapidly boiling bath with heavily salted water. When the water evaporates, the salt remains, sticking to the skin of the potato and forming a tender, salty crust. It tastes too salty at first, until the fluffy potato entrails touch the tongue.
They are also non-intrusive and forgiving. I had big plans to salt a couple of pounds of potatoes, but when I went to the pantry, I found that I had greatly overestimated my stock of potatoes. I only had three small potatoes, much less than what is listed in this recipe from Food52 . Deciding to try these potatoes, I put them in a small pot with a tablespoon of kosher salt and then added enough water to cover them.
I turned on the fire as high as my electric burner would allow, then I let the water boil and continued to boil until it was all evaporated, leaving behind three small potatoes covered with a beautiful salt crust. The taste was just as you would expect – very salty at first, then slightly bitter, then creamy and sweet. In a word: perfect. These potatoes make a great side dish for any protein, but I can’t wait to try them as a base for sour cream and caviar. (Like I said, I can eat a lot of salt.)
Light potatoes in a salty crust
Ingredients:
- Potatoes as much as you like
- Kosher salt, 1 tablespoon per pound (or 1 tablespoon if you have less than a pound)
Wash potatoes under cold water. Add them to a pot or pan that can hold all the potatoes in one layer. Sprinkle with salt and add enough cold water to just cover the potatoes. Bring them to a boil over high heat and let them boil quickly until all the water has evaporated. Cook for a few more minutes to dry the skin and form a crust. Serve immediately.