Potatoes — they’re so hot right now.
As Midtown NYC lunch prices climb ever higher, office workers are taking a bite out of inflation in an unexpectedly tasty way.
At markets, delis and street carts, price-conscious corporate drones are dropping a few dollars each for plain, roasted sweet spuds — a rudimentary, rustic-looking nosh that a growing number of fans are happily rawdogging and calling a meal. No frills, no butter, not even salt.
Resorting to such drastic measures might seem more than a little Dickensian, but the spartan sustenance is all the rage nowadays, with cost-conscious epicures lining up everywhere from Rockefeller Center to Koreatown for a yam, bam, thank you ma’am.
And according to these Big Apple starch seekers, the Stone Age nosh can be surprisingly flavorful.
“Mmmmm, it tastes like marshmallow,” raved local foodie Mr. Spice Guy Eats, in a viral video of himself tasting a potato at a popular spot near Penn Station. “This … rocked my world.”
“It’s so sweet…I feel like to dip it in sugar is like diabetes,” gushed a popular Instagrammer, who could be seen unwrapping the toasty treat like a banana, after grabbing their go ration from a local supermarket.
What appears as a Soviet-style starvation ration to the naked eye is actually regarded as a cozy winter treat throughout Japan, Korea and China, where they’re sold everywhere from convenience stores to steel drums on the street corner.
The minimalist munchies have long been prized for their crispy exterior, fluffy belly and natural caramelization that comes from being roasted in its own nectar. They also boast high amounts of important vitamins like beta carotene, vitamin C, and potassium, offering pedestrians a healthy pick-me-up on a frigid day.
Now, typically-naked sweet potatoes are becoming something of a haute meal in the West — and not just in pricier-than-ever New York, popping up on social feeds like Courtney Cook’s.
The Georgia foodfluencer went wildly viral just weeks ago, with a video of her ripping off the top of a spud and shoving a stick of cheese inside — a Frankenfood she dubbed a “teacher’s lunch” in a clip that has snagged over 10 million videos on TikTok.
“It’s just so wholesome….it really gives me energy,” Cook fawned. “Something about a potato just fills me up and gives me a lot of satiety.”
The feeling is being echoed all over Midtown lately, where the tubular meals are being hailed by those stretched by inflation, which has sent the price of even a simple midday repast into the stratosphere.
Those looking to fill their bellies in the commercial heart of the Big Apple are faced with fast food combos that cost nearly $15, bowls of salad sadness running grab-and-go diners nearly $20, and dollar pizza slices that now typically sell for $1.50 or even more, thanks to soaring ingredient costs.
By contrast, depending on where you go, a potato is a super sweet deal — at only a few dollars for the fibrous fill-up.
Julie, a hidden cafe on W. 32nd St. at the heart of Koreatown, is one of the most popular hawkers.
Here, potatoes can be seen rotating outside in an oven, like vegan rotisserie.
“Korean people really love to roast it,” Julie’s proprietor explained in one popular social media video.
Hungry customers will pay $7.99 per pound — boiling down to between $2-3 per tater, depending on the size, or around a third of the price of a much less healthy small order of fries at an NYC Five Guys location.
Post taste testers found the potatoes at Julie soft, starchy and hot, but with so much flavor they seemed ready to burst out of their caramelized skin — more potato feast than famine.
Julie has been praised by numerous high-profile gourmands online. In one social clip, NYC lifestyle expert and Julie customer Viveca Chow, who boasts over 152,000 followers on Instagram, can be seen chomping a tater the size of a duffel bag, exclaiming, “I love the skin. That’s glorious.”
The shop has also been featured in an NYC “Sweet Potato Crawl” by online food influencers Katherine Lee and Brandon McDonald.
Sweet potatoes are also a staple at Hmart, a popular Korean supermarket down the street. Here, the potato bellies tasted especially pillowy and sweet — with hints of candied apple.
Bonus points for how they functioned like hot water bottles, warming frozen hands during the sudden January cold snap.
At Hmart, you’ll pay $6-7 for a two-pack depending on the size — less than half the price of a typical roughage bowl at Sweetgreen.
Further uptown, a bustling gourmet deli in a gleaming office tower across from Radio City Music Hall is the last place you’d expect to see slinging naked potatoes out of an oven.
But in the center of the upscale Duke Eatery, they’re given pride of place — with customers paying just $6.99 per pound, if they can even get their hands on the popular item, which often sells out during the lunch rush.
Here, the taters are exceptionally large — one is a snack, two is carb-aggedon.
Not every purveyor is of Korean provenance, however.
Across Sixth Avenue in the Rock Center concourse, a branch of Miznon, a Mediterranean fast-casual chain from Israeli chef Eyal Shani, also serves a renowned roasted sweet potato — an affordable option on the otherwise spendier menu.
Often, office workers wait in line to get one of the potatoes, workers told The Post, but they’re frequently left disappointed — as the hot commodities frequently sell out.
Compared to the rest, Miznon’s offering is downright luxurious, roasted in honey and served whole with a side of sour cream — a sweet, gourmet take on the trend.
At $5 for one and $9 for two, this one tips into slightly pricier territory — but it’s downright delicious.
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