An interesting spin on roasted potatoes

In this recipe, salt does double duty: Not only does it give the potatoes their salty taste, but it also gives them their creamy texture.

There's a lot more salt dissolved in the supersalty boiling water than there is in the raw potatoes. So, as the spuds cook, some of that dissolved salt moves from the water into the potatoes, seasoning them all the way through. (Thanks, diffusion!)

The salt also breaks down pectin in the potatoes (pectin is like a glue that holds the potatoes' cells together). As the pectin breaks down, the cells inside the potatoes start to separate. At the same time, lots of tiny starch granules in the potatoes' cells absorb water and swell up (think: teeny sponges), giving the potato a creamy (and smashable!) texture.