Syracuse, NY

Pops and I are in Syracuse, NY. It is a stopping place enroute to Ontario. I looked up some local history and facts for the area. 

Hmmm.

Hope you enjoy learning things like I do. The recipe is simple, but who doesn't eat potatoes?

Syracuse

Little Known Facts

The dental chair was invented by Syracuse’s Milton Waldo Hanchett in 1840.  

Did you know that at one time there were more than 50 breweries here in the Syracuse area. 

Syracusan Charles F. Brannock invented the measuring device that tells the shoe salesman, what your size is. Also Nettleton patented the world’s first “Loafer” in 1933. 

Our State Fair in the longest running State Fair in the country, in fact it started in 1848.

Crouse Hinds, of Syracuse,  manufactured the country’s first traffic light installed in Texas in 1921.

Robert E. Dietz can boast ownership of an English patent for a mousetrap. 

27 antennae located on the moon were made in Syracuse by Sims. 

The salt industry has a long history in and around Syracuse, New York. Jesuit missionaries visiting the region in 1654 were the first to report salty brine springs around the southern end of "Salt Lake," known today as Onondaga Lake. Until 1900, the majority of the salt used in the United States came from Syracuse. Even today, Syracuse is sometimes known as "the Salt City."

Syracuse Salt Potatoes

"Salt potatoes are a regional specialty of Syracuse, New York, a.k.a. The Salt City. Salt potatoes date to the 1800s, invented by local salt mine workers who created a simple and inexpensive lunch by boiling small potatoes in brine. The potatoes are still very popular today with the Central New York crowd, making an incredibly easy and delicious side dish. 

Original recipe makes 8 servings

 4 pounds new potatoes

 1 1/2 cups fine salt

 8 tablespoons butter, melted

Directions

Wash the potatoes and set aside. Fill a large pot with water; stir in salt until it no longer dissolves and settles on the bottom. Place potatoes in the pot and bring to a boil; reduce heat and simmer until potatoes are tender but firm, about 15 minutes. Drain; cover to keep hot.

While the potatoes are cooking, melt the butter in a small pan over medium high heat, or in microwave. Serve immediately poured over potatoes.