Salt-Boiled Potatoes with Ranchy Yogurt

20 minutes prep 30 minutes active cooking 50 minutes total

Makes 4 - 6 servings

Jump to the recipe

Cooking potatoes in heavily salted water results in wrinkly skin wrapped around a creamy, well-seasoned interior.

Folks in Syracuse claim salt-boiled potatoes originated at the salt works in upstate New York. But papas arrugadas, the wrinkly spuds cooked in sea water, have been eaten in the Canary Islands for hundreds of years. Given the millennia of potato history in South America, the original version is probably the papas saladas made with rock salt from Columbian halite mines.

Wherever they come from, salt-boiled potatoes are delicious.

What You'll Need

Ingredients

For the shopping list

2 pounds of Yellow Potatoes, roughly the same size
1 teaspoon of Sugar
1 cup of Greek-style Yogurt

From our shop

1 cup + 1 teaspoon Italian Fine Sea Salt
$7.00– Trapani - Sicily

2 tablespoons of Gravenstein Apple Cider Vinegar
$16.00– Napa - California

Out of stock

1 teaspoon of Wild Icelandic Kelp
$10.00– North Atlantic Ocean - Iceland

1 teaspoon of Purple Stripe Garlic
$10.00– Cao Bằng - Vietnam

Out of stock

2 tablespoon of Antheo D.O.P.
$32.00– Sicily - Italy

2 tablespoons of Smooth & Creamy Real Mayonnaise
$7.00– Greenville - South Carolina

Equipment

From the kitchen

1 Stock Pot
1 Skillet
1 Mixing Bowl

"Any potatoes can be salt-boiled but my favorite are small and yellow. Try to pick spuds somewhere between golf and tennis ball size, but uniformity is most important so they all cook the same."

~ Jim Dixon, founder Wellspent and Real Good Food

What you'll have to do

Salt-Boiled Potatoes Step 1

Put a couple pounds of potatoes in a pot, add just enough water to cover, and stir in about a cup of salt (the amount in published recipes varies widely, but you don’t want to skimp). Bring to a boil, reduce the heat, and simmer until the potatoes are tender, from 15-25 minutes depending on their size. Pour off all but a half inch or so of water, return to the heat, and cook until the pan is dry.

Step 2

Separate about half of the potatoes to a baking sheet. Using a fork or the bottom of a cup, lightly crush each potato to about 3/4 thick, keeping the potatoes intact as much as possible.

Step 3

Heat oil in a heavy skillet until it shimmers. Transfer potatoes with a spatula, then lower heat to medium-low and cook, turning once, until golden brown, about 20 minutes.

Ranchy Yogurt Step 1

Dissolve a teaspoon each of sugar and salt in a 2 tablespoons of apple cider vinegar.

Stir in a teaspoon each of Icelandic kelp and purple stripe garlic powder, add 2 tablespoons of olive oil, and stir to emulsify.