Last week I had the honor of attending Morton Salt’s Next Door Chef pop up restaurant event here in New Orleans. This event, which has taken place in two other cities across the country, paired an acclaimed chef with a local resident to create an extraordinary meal using sea salt and Kosher salt to elevate flavors and textures. And because these techniques fall right inline with my budget byting principles, I’m going to share with you what I learned about how salt can easily and inexpensively take your meal to the next level. Inspired by the amazing dishes I ate at the event, I made these Salt & Vinegar Roasted Potatoes with Smoky Garlic Mayo, which feature the delicately flakey texture of Morton’s Kosher Salt.
These Salt & Vinegar Roasted Potatoes are not the tongue tingling acid bomb that salt and vinegar potato chips can be, but a more subtle, slightly tangy, wonderfully flavorful alternative to regular roasted potatoes. The creaminess of the Smoky Garlic Mayo is the perfect juxtaposition to the slightly tart and salty potatoes.
Huge thanks to Morton Salt for hosting an amazing event and supporting my work through sponsoring this blog post. All thoughts and words contained in this post are my own.
Why Kosher salt instead of regular table salt? It’s alllllll about the texture. Kosher salt has large, flakey granules that deliver a pop of flavor on your tongue and a wonderfully crunchy texture. Instead of the confluent salty flavor delivered by the uniform, tiny crystals of table salt, Kosher salt gives your taste buds a varying experience that instantly makes every bite more interesting. The best part? IT’S SO INEXPENSIVE. Seriously, you don’t need some fancy ten dollar pink salt from half way across the world to make your food good. A huge box of Morton’s Kosher Salt will run you just a few dollars, probably last you a couple of years (because you only need a pinch at a time), and it really does make your meals restaurant-worthy.
At the Next Door Chef event each table was provided with small dishes of Coarse Sea Salt, Fine Sea Salt, and Kosher Salt to sample with our dishes. In a few months I’ll do a more in depth tutorial on how to best use each of these salts in a variety of recipes, but today’s recipe will just focus on the awesomeness of Kosher Salt. And just one more tip before we dive into the recipe. Because Kosher salt has a large flakey texture, be aware that it shouldn’t be subbed for table salt in recipes with a simple 1:1 ratio. Use this handy conversion chart to figure out how much Kosher salt should be used in place of table salt or vice versa.
So let’s get to those Salt & Vinegar Roasted Potatoes, shall we? And if you want to see more about this amazing event with acclaimed New Orleans chef Nina Compton, scroll to the bottom of the post!
Salt & Vinegar Roasted Potatoes with Smoky Garlic Mayo
Servings 4Ingredients
SALT & VINEGAR POTATOES
- 2 lbs small red potatoes ($2.46)
- 1 cup white vinegar ($0.55)
- 2 tsp Morton® Kosher Salt, divided ($0.05)
- 1 Tbsp olive oil ($0.11)
- Freshly cracked pepper ($0.05)
- 1 Tbsp chopped chives (optional) ($0.32)
SMOKY GARLIC MAYO
- 1/3 cup mayonnaise ($0.37)
- 1 small clove garlic ($0.08)
- 1/4 tsp smoked paprika ($0.02)
- 1/8 tsp Morton® Kosher Salt
Instructions
- Wash the potatoes well, then add them to a large pot along with the vinegar. Add enough water to just cover the potatoes (about 2-3 cups), then add 1/2 Tbsp Morton® Kosher Salt. Place a lid on the pot and bring it to a boil over high heat.
- Continue to boil for 10-15 minutes, or until the potatoes can be pierced with a fork, but are not falling apart. Drain the potatoes in a colander and allow them to cool slightly.
- Preheat the oven to 400ºF. While the potatoes are cooling, prepare the smoky garlic mayo. Mince the garlic then combine it in a small bowl with the mayonnaise, smoked paprika, and 1/8 tsp kosher salt. Cover the bowl and refrigerate until ready to use.
- Once the potatoes are cool enough to handle, slice the potatoes into 1/4 to 1/2-inch thick rounds. Place the sliced potatoes on a large baking sheet. Drizzle the olive oil over the potatoes, then toss the potatoes until they are evenly coated in oil on both sides. Season the potatoes with freshly cracked pepper and a pinch or two of Kosher salt.
- Roast the potatoes in the oven for 30 minutes, stirring half way through, or until they are golden brown on both sides. Season once more with a pinch of kosher salt and a sprinkle of fresh chopped chives.
- Serve the potatoes drizzled with the smoky garlic mayonnaise, or with the mayonnaise on the side for dipping.
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Nutrition
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Step by Step Photos
Wash 2 pounds of small red potatoes well, making sure to remove any dirt in the eyes and crevices.
Place the potatoes in a large pot, then add 1 cup white vinegar and enough water to just cover the potatoes (2-3 cups).
Season the water with 1/2 Tbsp (1.5 tsp) Morton Kosher Salt. Place a lid on the pot and bring it up to a boil over high heat. Continue to boil the potatoes for 10-15 minutes, or until you can pierce them with a fork but they’re not so soft that they’re falling apart.
Once tender, drain the potatoes in a colander and let them cool slightly.
While the potatoes are cooling, begin preheating the oven to 400ºF. Also prepare the smoky garlic mayo. In a small bowl combine one small clove of garlic (minced) with 1/3 cup mayonnaise, 1/4 tsp smoked paprika, and 1/8 tsp Morton Kosher Salt. Cover the mayo and refrigerate it until you’re ready to use it.
Once the potatoes are cool enough to handle, slice them into 1/4 to 1/2-inch thick rounds. Place the sliced potatoes on a large baking sheet and drizzle with 1 Tbsp olive oil. Toss the potatoes in the oil until they are evenly coated on both sides.
Season the potatoes with some freshly cracked pepper and a couple pinches of kosher salt.
Roast the potatoes for about 30 minutes, stirring half way through, or until they’re golden brown on both sides. Season one more time with a pinch of Kosher salt, then top with fresh chopped chives (optional).
Drizzle the smoky garlic mayo over the Salt & Vinegar Roasted Potatoes, or serve it along side for dipping!
These are the amazing potatoes that inspired this recipe. While they aren’t salt and vinegar potatoes, they were tossed with a tangy Chili Vinaigrette and I topped them with a light sprinkle of that crunchy Kosher salt for that wonderful crunch!
These Jerk Broiled Oysters stole the show, though. They were topped with a crunchy thyme, bread crumb, and coarse sea salt topping that was TO-DIE-FOR.
They even used salt in the cocktails! These Americano cocktails used fine sea salt, which dissolves easily, to damper the bitterness of the coffee and magnify the herbaceous flavors of the liqueur. AMAZING.
I wish you all could have attended this amazing dinner, but you can visit Morton’s Next Door Chef site to learn more about the events in Chicago, Nashville, and New Orleans, learn the techniques, and discover new recipes. The first event in Chicago is featured on the site now, while the events in Nashville and New Orleans will be added in coming months. So, stay tuned!
Delicious! The only changes I made were to cut my potatoes differently (cubed) and to add about a tablespoon of vinegar tossed with the finished potatoes before serving. You can also feel free to raise the oven temp and roast longer to get your desired brownness. The sauce is the perfect complement.
These were amazing. Even my very picky teenage daughter loved them, and she and I are normally “oil and water” when it comes to things we both like. I’m adding this to the list of several recipes that have made it into our regular rotation. Thank you!!
I was hoping to taste the vinegar in these a little bit more, but did not taste it at all. That being said, the potatoes were lovely when roasted and the smokey garlic mayo was AMAZING.
These are good! Two things: don’t overcook your spuds or they won’t slice right (I ended up doing smashed potatoes) and DON’T forget the sauce in the fridge! 😭 I forgot to get the sauce out and it’s easily my biggest regret of the day. Probably the week.
Holy cow these were good! I steamed my potatoes in my Instantpot for 10 min on the Steam setting and let them naturally release pressure for 10 min, instead of boiling them. I put 1/2c vinegar & 1 cup hot water in the Instapot during steaming. Then I made as directed. As someone else mentioned, the vinegar flavor is not pronounced, or at least not when steamed in vinegar. I might try spritzing with vinegar before adding them to the oven.
If you make your own mayo (I used a recipe from Wholesmiths.com), they are Whole30 compliant. So they make a great snack for the New Year!
In any event, they were gone in a flash! Yum-o!
I find that adding vinegar to boiling water for potatoes keeps them crispy, is that something anyone has come across in making this recipe? I’m thinking of boiling the potatoes pouring vinegar over them to soak in a little better than draining and baking. It would have more of a vinegar taste I’m thinking which is something I def want.