Happy Accident Potatoes
My sister is deathly allergic to potatoes, which meant that they were not allowed in our house when I was growing up. As a result, potatoes have always felt like something of a luxury item to me as an adult, despite being one of the most ordinary and inexpensive foods imaginable. I don't think potatoes need much encouragement to be delicious, but perhaps my childhood deprivation has left me particularly susceptible to their charms.
These potatoes were actually the result of a happy accident. I had put some baby potatoes in a skillet with salted water and was happily chatting away on the phone when I forgot about them. By the time I remembered, thankfully just as they were perfectly cooked and not burnt, the water had evaporated and the salt had formed a delicate crust on their skins. Rather than consigning dinner to the category of unfortunate kitchen incidents, I added a knob of butter and a generous amount of chopped fresh mint in hommage to the English habit of pairing potatoes with dried mint, and discovered that the potatoes were absolutely divine.
It turns out that my accidental discovery has a rather distinguished culinary precedent in papas arrugadas, the wrinkled, salt-crusted potatoes of the Canary Islands, which are traditionally served with mojo sauces so, while I can't claim to have invented the technique, I can at least take credit for having been sufficiently distracted to stumble across it but not distracted enough to mess it up.
These would be fantastic with anything that you usually pair with potatoes. I had mine with a green salad and some charcuterie, but they were very much the main focus of my dinner.
I wasn't paying particular attention to quantities when I made this, so I've reconstructed the proportions here. The important thing is to use a skillet wide enough to hold the potatoes in a single layer and to let the water evaporate without allowing the potatoes to burn. Once the salt begins to crystallize, the butter and mint take only another minute.
6 small baby potatoes
1 Tbsp kosher salt
2 tsps butter
2 Tbsps fresh mint, finely chopped
Wash the potatoes and arrange them in a small skillet in a single layer. Add the salt and enough water to just cover them, approximately one cup.
Bring to a boil over medium-high heat, then reduce the heat slightly and continue cooking uncovered for approximately twenty minutes, or until the potatoes are tender when pierced with a knife and most of the water has evaporated. If the water disappears before the potatoes are tender, add another splash.
As the last of the water evaporates, gently shake the skillet to roll the potatoes around so that the salt crystallizes on their skins. Watch them closely at this stage, since the difference between a salt crust and a scorched skillet will be brief.
Remove the skillet from the heat and add the butter, tossing the potatoes until they are lightly coated. Add the chopped mint and toss again, allowing the residual heat to release its fragrance without cooking it to browned death.