Roasted Salt and Vinegar Potatoes

This is an excellent recipe – straight from America’s Test Kitchen.  Not too salty. Not too vinegary. Perfect with a salad and grilled veg. There is a shocking amount of salt used in this recipe, but you need that much. Somehow all that salt helps create a totally creamy potato.  I modified the amount of oil recommended in the original recipe. 

Here’s what you need:

2 lbs small red potatoes

1 ¼ C table salt

8 C water

4 T Malt Vinegar  (I used cider vinegar)

Cracked black pepper to taste

2 T olive oil 

Here’s what you do:

Adjust oven rack to upper-middle position and heat oven to 500 degrees. Set a wire rack inside a rimmed baking sheet and it aside. Brush a different baking sheet with oil.

Bring the water to a rolling boil. Add all the salt and when dissolved, add the potatoes. Cook until fork tender – about 20-30 minutes. Drain the potatoes and allow them to cool on the wire rack for 10 minutes. Some salt will form on the potato skin.

Transfer the potatoes to the oiled baking sheet and smash them with a measuring cup until they are about ½ inch thick. Brush them with oil and half of the vinegar.

Roast the potatoes for about 20-25 minutes or until they are well browned and crispy. Brush with remaining vinegar. Season with pepper. Serve immediately.