Home Fries

By Roze Traore

Published Aug. 25, 2022

Home Fries
David Malosh for The New York Times. Food Stylist: Rebecca Jurkevich.
Total Time
15 minutes
Rating
4(648)
Comments
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The great thing about this recipe is that it can be cooked in just one skillet — and it eliminates the time-consuming task of blanching your potatoes first. Water, oil and salt are combined in one pan. Once the potatoes enter the skillet, the lid is added and the potatoes steam, cooking evenly and absorbing the flavors of the salt and oil. Once the lid comes off, the water evaporates yet the oil remains, so the potatoes pan-fry until crispy. The results? Crunchy home fries with pillowy centers. If cooking for a crowd, double or triple the recipe, but do cook in batches, to avoid crowding the pan.

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Ingredients

Yield:2 servings (about 1¼ cups)
  • ⅓cup vegetable oil
  • ½teaspoon kosher salt
  • 1medium Yukon Gold potato (about 7 ounces), cut into ½-inch cubes
Ingredient Substitution Guide
Nutritional analysis per serving (2 servings)

387 calories; 37 grams fat; 2 grams saturated fat; 0 grams trans fat; 27 grams monounsaturated fat; 6 grams polyunsaturated fat; 13 grams carbohydrates; 2 grams dietary fiber; 1 gram sugars; 2 grams protein; 318 milligrams sodium

Note: The information shown is Edamam’s estimate based on available ingredients and preparation. It should not be considered a substitute for a professional nutritionist’s advice.

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Preparation

  1. Step 1

    Add the oil, salt and ⅓ cup water to a medium cast-iron skillet; whisk to combine.

  2. Step 2

    Add the potato cubes in an even layer. (It’s very important to not crowd the pan.) Turn heat to medium, cover the skillet and cook the potatoes, undisturbed, for about 6 minutes.

  3. Step 3

    Uncover, give them a toss or shake. Cook, uncovered and undisturbed, until the underside turns golden, then carefully flip. Repeat on all sides until the water evaporates and the potatoes are crispy all over and tender inside, about 9 minutes total.

  4. Step 4

    Transfer the home fries to a paper towel-lined plate to drain excess oil. Serve hot.

Ratings

4 out of 5
648 user ratings
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Comments

SE

Way too much spattering oil! Instead nuke a large potato in a bit of water in covered casserole dish -- about 3 1/2 - 4 min. til not quite done. melt 1 tbsp butter with 1 tbsp oil in iron skillet. saute onion (if you like it with your potatoes) to taste in oil/butter mix and then add potato and brown all. Add chunks of ham and heat with potato mix, and you've got a real he-man breakfast. plus, no spattering oil and water.

smf

1/3 cup oil for 1 medium potato that serves 2 people? That's over 600 calories just for the oil.

Jewels

Absolutely, just use way less oil (1- 2 Tablespoons). This is the way I cook my frozen potstickers, usually half-way up with water and covered for about 7-8 minutes and then uncovered to brown, usually flipping to brown multiple sides. For this potato recipe I would also decrease the oil and add more potatoes and include the smoked paprika that Allison says, very similar to another NYT recipe, Huevos Rotos, which is really tasty

Too salty

Worked well, just a bit too salty for my crowd. May not need quite so much oil but won’t complain - potato texture was great!

Heather M

This recipe turns out delicious, perfectly textured and seasoned homefries. Like other commenters, I reduced the oil. 3tbs was fine with the 1/3 cup of water, I’ll probably try 2 tbs next time. I also added garlic powder, paprika, and black pepper along with the salt. One major reason I like this recipe so much is they turn out great without the extra step of parboiling the potatoes first.

Matthew Cameron

It actually worked though I was uncertain it would. It took closer to half an hour though, and was finicky, but I eventually wound up with beautifully crisp golden brown potatoes. I took seriously the advice to not crowd the pan, which I think was crucial, but the amount of potatoes that came out were barely enough for two light eaters. I can't imagine doing it in batches, due to the time required. Still searching for the perfect home fry method.

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