Fried Potatoes: A Chef Revisits His Mom’s Recipe
My family has an ongoing love affair with potatoes. Since I was a child, and probably well before then, countless potato preparations have been in heavy rotation: French fried, mashed, casseroled, baked, boiled and buttered, or packed in Mason jars with green beans and bacon. I love them all.
If I had to pick a favorite, it would be those just-dug new red potatoes boiled with green beans and a few pieces of salty bacon. Served alongside a pan of cornbread in early summer, it would occasionally be called “dinner.”
As a professional chef, I’ve revisited most of these potato dishes over the years, but for whatever reason, there was one I overlooked: my mom’s fried potatoes. She made this dish often, probably because it was my father’s favorite, but I had more or less forgotten about it until recently.
Its name is a bit misleading. In most Southern homes, “fried” simply means cooked in a skillet with a little bacon fat or butter, not submerged in a deep-fryer full of hot peanut oil. Pan-fried would be a more accurate name for my mother’s potatoes.
A few weeks ago, out of the blue, this dish crossed my mind. I gave it a go from memory, and it was delicious: supremely crispy in some spots, soft and creamy in others. After tossing in some fresh thyme and seasoning it with salt and freshly ground black pepper, I had my new favorite way to cook potatoes. Bonus? The dish takes less than 10 minutes to make from start to finish.
Mom’s Fried Potatoes
Serves 4
The only potatoes to use for this recipe are good old starchy russets. Be sure the potatoes you buy are firm to the touch with no hints of green on the skin.
2 potatoes, cut lengthwise and then into ¼”-thick half moons
¼ cup plus 1 Tbsp. canola oil, bacon fat, or butter
Kosher salt
Freshly ground black pepper
1 tsp. fresh thyme leaves
You’ll need a 10-inch skillet. (I prefer cast iron.)*
Add the oil to your pan and heat over medium-high until the oil is shimmering slightly.
Add the potatoes. They’ll be crowded in the pan, but that’s okay. Season with 1 tsp. of salt and several cranks of your pepper mill. Stir to incorporate the seasoning and to distribute the oil (or whatever fat you’re using).
Cover with a lid or with foil and set your timer to 5 minutes. Don’t touch, but pay attention to the sounds and the smell. If you sense the heat is too high or everything is cooking too fast, turn it down. You don’t want to burn your potatoes. You should hear a combination of popping, sizzling, and steaming.
After 5 minutes, remove the lid and carefully stir the potatoes, getting some from the bottom layer mixed throughout. I add a bit more pepper at this point. Put the lid back on and cook for 3 more minutes.
Turn off the heat. Remove the lid, add a pinch of salt and the thyme, and stir gently. Serve.
*The temperature depends on what kind of pan you use. Cast iron can take high heat; use medium for thinner non-stick pans.
More ways to cook potatoes:
The Key to Fluffy Mashed Potatoes
3 Southern-Style Potato Salads
Thug Kitchen’s Sweet Potato Enchiladas
What dish does your family make over and over again?
