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4-base ingredients and 20 minutes are all that’s needed to make these crispy-exterior-soft-interior skillet fried potatoes. Clean and simple, you can’t afford to not try this classic side at least once!
💕 Here’s Why You’re Going to Love Love Love This Recipe!
- It is so easy to make and requires just 4 simple pantry staple ingredients.
- It takes just 20 minutes to make.
- You can season and add your favorite herbs and seasonings to customize it to your taste. (Read on to find out how to finish and season your dish in style)
- It is clean eating, gluten free, vegan/vegetarian friendly, and paleo friendly.
- It pairs well with other vegetables and any protein of your choosing.
Potatoes are one of my favorite starchy staples. Seriously, in our household the running joke is that “potato is #1”. So without anymore preamble, let’s get right into things…
Here’s What You Need to Make This Simple Side:
- Potatoes: Honestly, you can use any kind of potato you like from russets, reds, gold, fingerlings or even sweet potatoes are all great options. I’m using 1 lb of russets today which makes 3 servings so be sure to adjust your recipe to suit.
- Oil: I’m using an extra light olive oil but you can use any neutral clean label oil of your choosing.
- Salt: I’m using pink Himalayan salt but a sea salt can also be used if you like.
- Pepper: Pre- or fresh-ground black pepper.
- Garlic (optional): I’m using garlic powder but you can also use fresh or even dehydrated garlic if you like.
- Parsley (optional): This makes a great finishing garnish and brings both freshness and color to our dish. You can also use any other herb you enjoy (more on that below).
Can I Add Onions?
Onions and potatoes are a classic combination. If you’d like to use onions, thinly slice your onion and add add them to the skillet once the potatoes are cooked and the undersides are browned. Any sooner and you’ll risk your onions burning which gives them a bitter taste. Read on and I’ll let you know when to add them 😉
Here’s How To Make Our Skillet Potatoes:
To start we’ll prep our potatoes by washing, scrubbing, patting them dry and slicing them into sticks that are between a French fry and a steak fry.
Fun fact: This particular knife cut is known as a Baton/Batonette depending on how thick you cut them. I like them a bit thicker because the broad side will be face down to brown and crisp up so more surface area means more browning via the Maillard reaction.
- To your cold pan (I highly recommend using a cast iron skillet for the absolute best results) we’ll add our oil to completely cover the bottom and we’ll place our potatoes in an even a layer as possible.
- Put your skillet on med-high heat and once you can hear a slight sizzle, cover your skillet and leave your potatoes to cook for 10-15 minutes. The potatoes will crisp up on the bottom, and since they’re covered, they will steam and cook through.
- After 10 minutes, check your potatoes by pricking them with a knife or fork. They should be tender and have no resistance to them once pricked. If they’re not yet cooked, cover and allow them to cook for another 5 minutes.
- Once they’re fork tender, use a turning spatula to flip them over so that the top sides can brown. If a few pieces are stuck or break don’t worry. The trick here is to confidently and firmly work the spatula under the pieces and gently flip them over.
NOTE: if you’d like to add onions to your dish, add your sliced onions to the pan just before you flip them over and allow them to cook and brown while the other side of your potato slices brown.
Once your potatoes are browned and crisped to your liking, and you can easily move them around in the pan, season them to taste and serve them right away.
Finish Your Potatoes With Decadence!
This is entirely optional but is a great and simple way to elevate your dish even further. Turn off the heat, and push the potatoes to the sides of the pan, clearing a space in the middle. Add a small pat of butter to the bottom of the skillet and once melted and slightly browned, toss your potatoes to coat them in the butter. For bonus points, add a clove of mashed Roasted Garlic to the butter and let it “fry” for 20 seconds until fragrant before tossing to coat for an over-the-top bite of heaven!
Garnish and Toppings:
I’ve kept things simple by finishing my potatoes with a touch of garlic powder and a sprinkle of parsley but you can add in any flavoring or herb/spice of your choosing. Some great options include:
- Italian seasoning
- Oregano
- Thyme
- Rosemary
- Chives
- Smoked Paprika
- Chipotle Powder
- White Pepper
- Lemon juice
- Crispy bacon bits
- Finely shredded Parmesan or Pecorino Romano
That really all there is to making this dish. Delicious and versatile, there’s no end to what you can do with them or pair them with. But no matter how fancy you get (Looking at you Duchess potatoes, fondant potatoes, pommes soufflés) I always come back to the classic and simple fried potato. Humble, unassuming, but oh-so-delicious. I hope you give this dish a try and if you do, be sure to let us know how it turned out! Until then, bon appétit!
Insanely Easy Skillet Fried Potatoes
Ingredients
- 1 lb potatoes
- 2 tbsp extra light olive oil (or any neutral oil)
- 1 tsp Himalayan salt to taste
- 1 tsp ground black pepper to taste
Any herb or spice of your choosing to finish and garnish. I like using garlic and parsley.
Instructions
- Wash and scrub potatoes clean. Pat them dry and cut them into batons (aka French fries/steak fries depending on your preference).
- Add enough oil to coat the bottom of a large cast iron skillet and arrange your potato batons in as even a layer as possible.
- Set your skillet on med-high heat and once you hear the potatoes begin to fry, cover your skillet and allow it to cook undisturbed for 10-15 minutes.
- Uncover your skillet, and using a knife or fork, prick your potatoes to test if they are cooked (the knife/fork should go through the potato with no resistance.) If uncooked, cover your potatoes and let cook for an additional 5 minutes. If cooked, use a flipper spatula to flip your potatoes over, the undersides should be golden brown.
- Keeping your skillet uncovered, allow the other side of the potatoes to brown and crisp up. You can add more oil if needed.
- Season your potatoes to taste with salt and pepper and garlic. Garnish with chopped parsley or any bright and fresh herb of your choosing.
- Serve immediately for the best results. Store any leftovers in an airtight container in the fridge for up to a week.
Notes
- You can use any potato of your choosing from Russets to Gold to Reds to Fingerlings or even Sweet Potato.
- You can season your potatoes with any herb (fresh or dried) or spice of your choosing.
- If you own an airfryer you can reheat any leftover potatoes to recrisp them.