Papas Arrugadas – shriveled potatoes

Ingredients for 4 servings:

• 1 kg potatoes
• n. B. Salt (table salt)

Instructions

Working time approx. 5 minutes; Cooking/baking time approx. 25 minutes; Total time approx. 30 minutes

Wrinkled potatoes with regular table salt instead of sea salt

Choose the potatoes you like. So far, I’ve only tried waxy varieties. Because smaller potatoes (e.g., new potatoes) have a larger surface area, I prefer those. Choose potatoes that are as similarly sized as possible (they will then require the same cooking time), and as many as will fit in a single layer in a saucepan. If you want fewer potatoes, use a smaller pot; if you want more, use a larger one. Wash the potatoes and place them side by side in the pot. Fill with water until the potatoes are at least three-quarters deep. Add salt—twice as much as you would for boiled potatoes. I know this isn’t satisfactory for inexperienced cooks. But even after browsing through several online and offline recipes, I haven’t found any instructions for this. It’s a matter of experience and taste. As a guideline for the completely inexperienced: Taste the water; it should be a touch saltier than soup. Set the heat to full. Bring to a boil, reduce the heat a little depending on the stove, but it should always be bubbling and steaming. Leave the lid on and let the water evaporate (you might want to open a kitchen window or use a steam bath). This will take 20 to 40 minutes, depending on the thickness of the potatoes, the water level, the size of the pot, etc. It’s best to stay nearby. Finally, when there’s only a little moisture left at the bottom, use a lid to shake the potatoes around in the pot every now and then to cover them with the last of the moisture. Remove the lid regularly afterward. The salt will foam with the remaining water, and then it can be easily distributed over the potatoes by shaking. Once all the moisture is gone, the potatoes and the inside of the pot should be coated with a more or less fine crust of salt. Serve immediately or eat cold; in any case, do not cover the lid; this will cause them to absorb water and the salt to dissolve again. In the Canary Islands, they are served with mojo verde and/or mojo rojo. I now like them with everything I used to make with boiled potatoes. If you’ve tried both—table salt and sea salt—please let me know in the comments. I’d be interested to know if you can taste the difference.