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Breakfast · American

Home Fries

Diner-style potatoes: crisp, deeply browned edges, fluffy middles, sweet onion and chives.

Hands-on
50 min
Hands-off
10 min
Total
1 h
Makes
4 servings
Serves
4

About 10 minutes to scrub and cut, 7-10 minutes in the microwave (hands-off), then about 40 minutes at the stove: 3 minutes heating the pan, 5 minutes for the onion, and 17-23 minutes browning the potatoes in a shallow layer of oil. Total about 1 hour.

  • easy
  • vegetarian
  • vegan
  • gluten-free
  • brunch
  • diner-classic
  • side

Verified against at least two trusted test kitchens or food-safety guides · Last checked · What this means

Illustration of Home Fries
Amount
Units

Ingredients

You need: vegetable brush · large microwave-safe bowl with a cover or plate · colander · 30 cm (12 in) cast-iron skillet · thin metal spatula · small bowl · oven mitts

Contains: none of the 9 major allergens in the listed ingredients

Method

  1. Scrub and cut

    Scrub the 680 g (1 1/2 lb) potatoes under running water with a vegetable brush, then cut them, skin on, into 2 cm (3/4 in) pieces.

  2. Head start in the microwave

    Toss the potatoes in a large microwave-safe bowl with 1 tbsp oil, 1/2 tsp salt and 1/2 tsp pepper. Cover and microwave for 7 to 10 minutes, stirring now and then. Lift the cover away from you, then drain the potatoes well in a colander.

    Ready when: The potatoes are just starting to soften but still hold their shape; they finish cooking in the skillet.

    Otto tried this firstOtto whips the cover off toward his face and gets a blast of steam. Tilt it away from you.

  3. Cook the onion and garlic

    Heat the cast-iron skillet over medium heat for 3 minutes. Add 2 tbsp oil and heat until it shimmers, then add the onion and cook for about 5 minutes. Stir in the garlic and cook about 30 seconds. Tip it all into a small bowl.

    Ready when: The onion is soft and lightly browned; the garlic smells fragrant but hasn't browned.

  4. Start the potatoes

    Add the remaining 2 tbsp oil to the same skillet over medium heat and let it shimmer. Add the drained potatoes and press them into an even layer with the back of the spatula. Cook without moving them for 5 to 7 minutes.

    Ready when: The undersides have started to brown.

    Otto tried this firstOtto stirs every 30 seconds. Nothing browns and the potatoes go pale and mushy. Leave them alone so a crust can form.

  5. Flip and crisp

    Flip the potatoes in sections with the spatula, then press them lightly back into a layer. Repeat every few minutes for 12 to 16 minutes in all.

    Ready when: Deeply browned and crisp on the outside, and a fork slides easily into the centre of a piece.

  6. Finish

    Stir in the onion mixture and the 1 1/2 tbsp chives, season with more salt and pepper to taste, and serve hot.

Swaps

  • Instead of Yukon Gold potatoes: red-skinned or other medium-starch or waxy potatoes, same weight They hold their shape well.
  • Instead of the microwave step: parboil on the stove: cover the potato pieces with salted cold water by about 5 cm (2 in), bring to a boil, then simmer about 6 minutes until just tender Drain well and let the steam dry off before they go into the oil.

Make ahead, store & reheat

Storage
Refrigerate leftovers within 2 hours and use within 3 to 4 days.
Reheat
Reheat in a skillet until hot all the way through, 74°C (165°F).

If something goes wrong

  • Pale, soft potatoes Why: The oil wasn't hot enough, or the potatoes were stirred too often.
    Wait until the oil shimmers, press the potatoes into one layer and leave them alone for the first 5 to 7 minutes.
  • Burnt garlic or a soggy crust Why: The onion and garlic were cooked with the potatoes.
    Cook them separately first and stir them back in at the end.

Good to know

  • Cast iron holds heat well, so the potatoes keep sizzling when they hit the pan.
  • Drain the potatoes well after the microwave: less water means less spitting and a better crust.
  • Chives go in at the very end so they stay bright.

Safety

  • This is a shallow sauté in 2 tablespoons of oil, not deep frying. Wet potatoes make hot oil spit, so drain them well and lower them in gently; keep kids back from the stove.
  • Steam from the microwaved bowl can scald. Lift the cover away from your face, and let an adult drain the hot potatoes.
  • A cast-iron skillet's handle gets as hot as the pan. Always grab it with an oven mitt.
  • Scrub potatoes before cutting so soil on the skin doesn't end up in the food.