Turpentine and its waste product rosin are used for violin varnish, paint thinner, salves such as Vicks, and household cleaners like Pine Sol. Rosin was even used as a cure, dubious at best, for hook worms. But it is rosin that has made a name in the culinary world for baking potatoes to perfection.
I had my first rosin baked potato in Portal, Georgia, during their Catface Turpentine Festival, and I became hooked on rosin baked potatoes. Rosin, which can be hard to find in large quantities, can be purchased at the Catface Festival.
If you are interested in cooking rosin potatoes at home you can order rosin potato kits on Amazon. It comes with a large stock pot and rosin in its hard form. The stock pot can be misleading as it implies it is safe to do this on your stove top. I would not suggest this at all for cooking rosin potatoes. You should order a metal tripod from which you can suspend the pot. You can get metal tripods from almost any blacksmithing or historical re-enactor site like Townsends. Also, remember any pots or utensils used are to be used only with rosin from that point forward. I use an old cast iron pot that Smith Plantation has on hand, and a skimmer I order from Townsends.
The rosin is reusable. so after cooking the potatoes, the pan should be removed from the fire and set aside to cool and harden. I also leave the rosin on my skimmer so that I don’t confuse it for another spoon when doing cooking demonstrations.
Once you learn how to make rosin potatoes you really should invite neighbors and friends over. They will be impressed with your knowledge of history as well as your ability to make the best potatoes they have ever eaten.
Rosin Potatoes
Ingredients
- •Cast iron pot (should be deep enough to easily hold rosin without fear of boiling over)
- •Rosin (amount should equal two 1-gallon paint cans of solid rosin, more if your pot is larger)
- •Fire pit
- •Tripod
- •Wood
- •Newspaper cut or ripped into squares
- •As many potatoes (white or sweet) as you desire (to be cooked three at a time)
- •Butter, bacon, onions or whatever you desire to spread or sprinkle over potatoes
Preparation
Start a fire in a pit and place the tripod over it. Make sure the tripod is securely hammered into the ground to avoid the rosin pot tipping.
Place the rosin into the pot, and put the pot of solid rosin over fire so it will melt. Check with a spoon to make sure that the rosin has completely melted on the bottom.
Once the rosin has melted, drop the potatoes into the pot. Begin by cooking three at a time until you are comfortable with your pot of rosin. You will see bubbles in the rosin as the water is being forced out of the potato. Watch carefully, adjusting the heat as necessary, to be sure that the rosin will not boil over into the fire.
Wait for the potatoes to float to the surface of the rosin, which will take about 1 hour. (Total cooking time will be about 1 hour and 30 minutes.) You can test a potato by touching it with a long handled metal spoon. The potatoes are hard initially but as they rise they become softer and almost spongy when touched. DO NOT BREAK THE SKIN; if you break the skin, you cannot eat that potato.
Once the potatoes rise to the top, which should take about 1 hour, allow them to continue cooking for another 30 minutes. Scoop one potato out of the rosin and wrap in newspaper. The rosin will instantly adhere to the newspaper. You cannot eat the skin. After a few minutes split open the potato through the newspaper and push the ends of the potato inward. If done you should get a nice fluffy little cloud of potato in the middle. Now you will know exactly how long it will take and if you can do more than 3 potatoes at a time. This is where you gain finesse.
If you want to make mashed potatoes that have a good potato flavor, leave the potatoes in the rosin until the ends begin to wrinkle. Wrap them in newspaper and split the potato open so that you can scoop out the insides. Add butter, cream, whatever you like for seasoning. Then mash or whip together. You will have produced a mashed potato dish that has real potato flavor in it.
