  We unambiguously identify, in experiment and theory, a previously overlooked
holographic interference pattern in strong-field ionization, dubbed "the
spiral", stemming from two trajectories for which the binding potential and the
laser field are equally critical. We show that, due to strong interaction with
the core, these trajectories are optimal tools for probing the target
\textbf{after} ionization and for revealing obfuscated phases in the initial
bound states. The spiral is shown to be responsible for interference carpets,
formerly attributed to direct above-threshold ionization trajectories, and we
show the carpet-interference condition is a general property due to the field
symmetry.
