Salt-Crusted Potatoes
Small Fingerling potatoes boiled in very salty water until the skin dries into a wrinkled, salt-crusted crust around a creamy interior, the Canary Islands papas arrugadas, served with two classic mojo sauces.
Equipment
- 1 large skillet or pot with a lid, wide enough to hold the potatoes in a single layer
Ingredients
For the Potatoes
- 2 lb Fingerling potatoes yellow, red, or a mix of both
- 1/2 tsp sea salt
- 1 liter water with 2 tbsp + 1 tsp of salt (or ideally 1 liter of seawater!) keep the same ratio if you need more water
For the Mojo Rojo Sauce
- 2 cloves garlic
- 2 dried ancho-style chiles
- 1 red bell pepper, grilled, peeled, and seeded
- 2 tsp paprika
- 1 tsp cumin
- 2 tbsp red wine or sherry vinegar
- 1 pinch salt generous
For the Mojo Verde Sauce
- 2 cloves garlic
- 1 jalapeno, seeded
- 1 tsp salt
- 1 bunch fresh cilantro, leaves picked
- 1 tsp cumin
- 1/2 cup olive oil
- 1 tbsp red wine or sherry vinegar
Instructions
Make it ahead
- Combine all the mojo rojo ingredients in a mortar or a jar of at least 500 ml (2 cups). Blend with a pestle or an immersion blender until you have a fairly liquid sauce.
- For the mojo verde, mash the garlic, jalapeno, and salt into a paste in a mortar.
- Add the cilantro leaves and crush well into the paste with the pestle.
- Add the cumin, then drizzle in the olive oil gradually, working it in until you have a smooth, pesto-like sauce.
- Stir in the vinegar with a fork to combine. Store both sauces in sealed jars until you leave.
Over the fire
- Place the potatoes in a large pan or skillet, in a single layer.
- Add the sea salt, then cover the potatoes with just enough salted water (about 1 L, depending on the size of your pan and potatoes).
- Bring to a boil, then cook at a hard boil until the water has evaporated or the potatoes are cooked through. If the potatoes are nearly done and a lot of water remains, ladle some out.
- Reduce to low heat and continue cooking a few more minutes, gently turning the potatoes, until they are dry and the skins begin to wrinkle.
Notes
Seawater tradition. If you are beach camping or sailing in salt water, skip the added salt entirely and cook the potatoes straight in seawater, that is the traditional method.
Too salty? If the skin tastes too salty once cooked, rub off the excess crust before eating; the flesh underneath stays perfectly seasoned.
Mojo verde without a mortar. A food processor works fine, but add the vinegar only at the very end, or you will end up with a creamy vinaigrette instead of a chunky, pesto-like sauce.
Serving. Serve the potatoes whole, skins on, with both sauces alongside for dipping.
Why the skin wrinkles. The very salty water pulls moisture out of the potato outer layer faster than the skin can shrink to match, so it dries and buckles into ridges while the inside stays creamy.
See the frequently asked questions
- What papas arrugadas are
- Making it without a campfire
- Whether fingerling potatoes are required
- Using real seawater instead of salted water
- Knowing when potatoes are done
- Making the mojo sauces ahead
- What to serve alongside