Tuesday, October 30, 2007

Dinner

Tonight I am making salt potatoes and creamed mushroom beef tips.

Salt potatoes are bite-size "new" white or red potatoes scrubbed and boiled in their jackets. Salt is added to the water to the point of saturation, giving them their name, and unique flavor and texture. After cooking, salt potatoes are served with melted butter.
Salt potatoes are a regional dish of Upstate New York, typically served in the summer as the young potatoes are first harvested. They are a staple food of fairs and babecues.
The Syracuse, 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 through out the north-east via the Erie Canal. The salinated water was laid out to dry on large trays, the salt residue was then scraped up, ground, and packaged. Salt potatoes were created in the nineteenth century by Irish immigrants who worked the springs. The first packaged salt potatoes were sold in the 1960s
It is a regional favorite throughout Central New York. Syracuse is also known as "Salt City" because of salt in the marshes around the area. The salt miners and settlers boiled their potatoes in salt water for flavor.

When we visit NY every summer, we get to have salt potatoes at least once while up there, one of my many aunts who are wonderful cooks will make them while we visit. I was feeling nostalgic while at the farmers market and had to pick a bag of these new potatoes and make a batch of salt potatoes for my family.

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