Instant Pot Salt Potatoes [Syracuse, New York], created by Irish Salt Miners are made with new potatoes boiled in brine, yielding a creamy interior.
![Instant Pot Salt Potatoes [Syracuse, New York]](https://staging.thisoldgal.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/08/Pressure-Cooker-Syracuse-Salt-Potatoes-1.jpg "Instant Pot Salt Potatoes [Syracuse, New York] Image")
Created by local Irish Salt Mine Workers back in the 1800’s for a quick and cheap lunch.
Traditionally, Syracuse Salt Potatoes are made with new, potatoes. Syracuse is in Central New York.
The Irish Salt Workers would bring a bag of small potatoes to work and boil them in the Salt Springs. They did not peel them and they were often not premium potatoes.
With the use of an Instant Pot, Ninja Foodi or Pressure Cooker, you can have the same great taste!
Also, called, Canarian Wrinkly Potatoes, in the Canary Islands and served with a Red or Green Mojo.
Cast of Ingredients for Instant Pot Salt Potatoes
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Ingredients for Instant Pot Salt Potatoes
- New Potatoes – yellow, red, purple or a combination
- Salt – The Salt can be Sea Salt or Kosher Salt
- Water
- Ghee or Butter
As you can see, there are not many ingredients. The Potatoes should be new and white. And bite-sized, small enough to pop the whole Potato in your mouth.
Salt, Lots of Salt!
Unlike the Salt Miners, who boiled their potatoes in the Salt Springs, we’ll use a Pressure Cooker and enjoy the Potatoes in under 30 minutes.
Fine Salt is best to use, as it will quickly melt.
Instant Pot Salt Potatoes is easily altered for smaller portions. Follow the Salt/Water ratio found in the Recipe Card below, if you would like a larger portion.
If you have a Mini Instant Pot, just cut the recipe completely in half. Cook time is the same and it works equally as well!
Water + Salt = Salt Spring!
What Type of Salt is Used?
- Sea Salt is good.
- Some people use Kosher Salt. It works too, just takes longer to dissolve.
- Pink Himalayan Salt is very tasty too.
As a huge Potato lover, we eat this with our meals, quite often. The Salty residue protects the potatoes from becoming water-logged.
Lukewarm Water + Salt = Salt Spring! Hahaha, just kidding. But, it does make a nice Brine.
Smoked Salts are great to use too for a wonderful smoky flavor.
Smoked Salts to Try
- Applewood Smoked Salt
- Cherrywood Smoked Salt – one of my favorites!
Dissolve the Salt
How to Make Instant Pot Salt Potatoes
- Whisk up the salt with the water very, very well.
- The salt and water mix up very thick, like the Dead Sea. You won’t want to taste, as you will want to gag.
- Small potatoes are added and then cooked under pressure.
I wonder if you can float in it like the Dead Sea. I went to the High School in Israel. We floated in the Dead Sea. It was salty!
The end result of Instant Pot Salt Potatoes will not be overly salty, as the salt forms a crust.
More New York Recipes
- New York Coffee Shop Home Fries.
- Instant Pot Dirty Water Hot Dogs – like the kind you get from street vendors on the streets of New York City!
- Air Fryer New York Egg Rolls
I love New York and the food. Can you tell? I’m not from New York, but both parents were born there and we spent a lot of time in the state growing up. My grandmother even had a resort in Monticello, New York (upstate) and I spend many summers there with my parents and cousins. Would you believe I have a cousin named Jack? Imagine what people thought when my grandma used to call us over the loudspeaker when she wanted us to come in from playing.
Add in the Potatoes
Three pounds of Potatoes fit nicely in a standard 6 quart Instant Pot, Ninja Foodi or Pressure Cooker.
The Potatoes should be bite sized. If you cannot find the New/Small White Potatoes, grab some Fingerlings.
If you can’t find either, but really want to make Instant Pot Salt Potatoes, buy the smallest Potatoes you can find and adjust the cook time.
You can add more Potatoes if you like, just adjust the Salt and the Water.
This is NOT Traditional Syracuse Salt Potatoes
As I mentioned above, Traditional Syracuse Salt Potatoes use small white Potatoes.
The shape doesn’t matter. As long as they are all similar size.
Tri-color potatoes work very well too and after making a batch of the tri-colored, I can honestly say they are equally as delicious.
Drain the Water
Tips and Tricks to Instant Pot Salt Potatoes.
- Make sure to use warm water and whisk to thoroughly combine the salt.
- Use a Stainless Steel Colander to drain the salt water from the potatoes to let the salty crust form.
- Melt a little butter while the potatoes are draining, so the butter is nice and hot.
- Chives, Scallions, Rosemary, or other herbs you may like, an be used when you melt the Butter.
Instant Pot Salt Potatoes
These Instant Pot Salt Potatoes are so good on their own.
The Melted Ghee or Butter, make them even better!
Other Variations of Instant Pot Salt Potatoes.
- You can add Butter to the cooking pot and melt.
- Then toss in the Potatoes with some herbs and mix to coat.
Tri Colored Potatoes are so Pretty
And I am! For you naughty people, the Tri-Colored Potatoes are so pretty. They taste good too. There is a difference in taste between the colors.
Go rogue, try them. đŸ™‚
If you have any leftovers, cut them in half and put them in your Air Fryer for delicious Air Fryer French Fries.
More Instant Pot Potato Recipes to Make:
- Instant Pot Mashed Potatoes (Pressure Cooker)
- Instant Pot Garlic Whipped Potatoes
- Instant Pot Caramelized Sweet Potatoes Yams
- Instant Pot Colcannon – another Irish inspired recipe. Make this, you won’t regret it!
Kitchen Equipment and Essentials
- Instant Pot, Ninja Foodi or Pressure Cooker
- Simply Gourmet (Dry) Stainless Steel Measuring Cups
- Anchor Hocking Glass (Liquid) Measuring Cups
- Rösle Stainless Steel Flat Whisk– a MUST have, probably my most used utensil
- di Oro Living Silicone Spatulas Set
- Porcelain & Bamboo Salt Box with Spoon
- 6 oz Porcelain Ramekins
- Stainless Steel Colander
- Sea Salt
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Here is the handy printable recipe:
Ingredients
Recommended Products
Instructions
- Wash/Scrub Potatoes. Add Salt and Water to Pressure Cooker cooking pot and Whisk until the Salt has completely dissolved.
- Add Potatoes.
- Lock on Lid and close Pressure Valve. Cook at High Pressure for 2 minutes. When Beep sounds, wait 15 minutes and then release pressure.
- Strain Potatoes in a colander and let dry for a few minutes. Serve with Melted Ghee or Butter.
Stove Top Method
- Mix together Salt and Water and bring to boil. Add Potatoes and cook for 20 minutes, or until soft. Drain and serve.
Notes
Smoked Salts to Try
- Applewood Smoked Salt
- Cherrywood Smoked Salt - one of my favorites!
What to Eat with Instant Pot Salt Potatoes
Nutrition
PIN this Pressure Cooker Syracuse Salt Potatoes!
Pressure Cooker Syracuse New York Salt Potatoes
This upstate NYer thanks you for the recipe! We love our salt potatoes here! How about you try some Chicken Riggies next???
I have Natural Applewood smoked sea salt, I will have to try this with it. I love the smokey flavoring it adds to foods.
Can you make ahead and reheat in oven?
They are not so good reheated, in my experience
Jill, I made these last night and they were such a success that my guests are buying an Instant Pot! I love your recipes and this is one of the best!
Hi Sally. Thanks so much. Jill
Hi Jill! Wondering if I could do the salt potatoes on bottom, then pork chops either on a tall rack, or in a pot-in-pot? How long do you think it would take to cook? 15 minutes? Just trying to see if I can make a whole meal altogether!
Thanks!
Kate. The potatoes would be mushed at 15 minutes. Jill
I live in Syracuse, and love our salt potatoes. Here in Syracuse, they sell 5 pound bags of salt potatoes — 4 pounds of potatoes and a 1 pound bag of salt. I’ll have to try the tri-colored potatoes too!
Hi Joanne. I love using the tri colored potatoes. The yellow and red taste similar. The purple is quite different, but also delicious. Jill
Great local potatoes. Much better than what we get in the rest of the country.
I grew up in central NY and we made these a lot but never in the pressure cooker. Just put a pan on the stove with water, potatoes and the salt….cooked until done.
I lived in Syracuse and I know salt potatoes. These were the best I ever made. I used the whole 5 lb bag, a little more salt and a little more water. Thanks Jill. I will never make them any other way.
Awesome, Ganine. So glad they were a success. Jill
Being from Scotland I do love my taters, we grew up eating them with every single meal so I know my family will love this recipe a lot đŸ™‚
Hi Sheena. Thanks. I can’t wait to hear how you like this method. They are kind of addicting. Jill
I made these last night with potatoes from my CSA, and they were delicious. I roasted them in the oven for a bit after the IP, just to make sure the outsides crisped/dried. I’ve been cooking mostly oil-free, so instead of butter/oil, I made an oil-free green mojo with cilantro, garlic, cumin, sherry vinegar, salt, and sumac. Sliced tomatoes, roasted okra, and potatoes were my amazing meal.
Stephanie, that sounds delicious. Jill
“the High School in Israel”
Meaning Alexander Muss, by any chance? Or just happened to do high school there?
Also, soooo excited for this recipe
Hi Stephanie. I believe the Alexander Muss name came after The High School in Israel name, but I think it is the same program. I think it is through Jewish Federation. It was so long ago, I hardly remember that part of it, but do remember having to read “The Source.” Jill
Thank you Jill for another fantastic recipe ! I made these tonight using 1 pound of our local Ozette potatoes from Olympia Farmers Market. I used 2 cups water and 1/3 cup sea salt . They were absolutely perfect ! ? Must get more ( a lot more potatoes ? )
Glad you liked them.
These are so, so good. I have restocked my potatoes so that I can make more. Thanks for posting–I had never heard of them!
Hi Melissa. I am so glad you enjoyed the Salt Potatoes. Jill
I only have 1.5 lbs. of baby potatoes.
I plan to halve the salt and water, but keep the
same cook time. Does that sound right?
Did that work? I have a 1.5 pound bag too.
I did nearly that: 1.75 lb potatoes, 4.5 C water, 3/4 C salt (3/4 the recipe as opposed to 1/2), cooked for the same amount of time and they turned out perfectly. I believe she makes note somewhere in the verbiage that as long as you maintain the same ratio of ingredients, you can keep the same cook time with good results.
Yes, that is correct.
Mmm, mmm, mmm! Can’t wait to try these!! Butter, salt, and potatoes! Just add ice cream and you’ve hit every one of my favorite food groups!! đŸ˜‰
????????
Ice cream! Major yum. Strawberry, Vanilla and Coconut. My favorites.
I made these Syracuse salt potatoes today in my mini! They were delicious. How could something so simple be so fantastic!
Wow! Made this recipe with my new IP tonight and it was a total hit with my family. Thank you so much for sharing. This will be in our regular rotation from now on!
Thank you, Kare. I am glad your family enjoyed the Salt Potatoes. Jill
How long would you cook if you were making “baked” russet potatoes this way?
Hi Katie. I would try 8 minutes and then let it naturally release. Jill
LOVE the recipes,just got my Pressure Cooker LOVE it,keep up the good work. A fan in GA
Does the amount of salt pit the stainless steel liner?
Hi Pat. No problem with the cooking pot. Jill