Home Fries
Home Fries are a diner-style stovetop breakfast potato. This recipe starts with a quick boil to soften the centers, then a hot skillet with olive oil and ghee for crispy edges.
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Every week I make a batch of my baked Make-Ahead Breakfast Potatoes to enjoy throughout the week. But when things are a little slower on the weekend and I want diner-style brunch at home, these home fries are what I make.
These stovetop breakfast potatoes have crisp, seasoned edges and soft centers. Serve them with eggs cooked to your liking. They also go well with a tofu scramble, veggie breakfast sausage, or paired with quiche.
Ingredients You’ll Need
Home fries are an affordable side dish that only needs a handful of ingredients.
- Russet potatoes, peeled and diced. Yukon Golds work too, though russets give you softer centers.
- Olive oil and ghee (or butter), for frying and getting those crisp edges.
- Salt, pepper, garlic powder, and onion powder, for the diner-style flavor.
- Fresh parsley, optional, for garnish.
If you’ve made my 4-Ingredient Steak Seasoning, you can use that blend to season the potatoes instead.
How to Make Skillet Home Fries
Home fries show up on just about every roadside diner menu in America. The crisp edges and soft centers in my version come from a quick boil before frying in oil and ghee.
Start by peeling and cubing the potatoes. Give them a short boil right in the skillet. You want them barely tender, not falling apart. Drain them and let them steam dry for a couple of minutes.
Heat the oil in the same skillet, then add the potatoes and seasonings. Let them fry, and only stir every few minutes. Leaving them alone is what builds the browned crust.
Add ghee or butter near the end. This is when the edges turn crisp and scraggly. I recommend ghee, since its higher smoke point handles the heat better.
Tips for Crispy Home Fries
- Dry the potatoes after boiling. Water on the surface turns to steam and slows browning.
- Use one layer. A 12-inch skillet fits about 1½ pounds of potatoes. For a double recipe, use two skillets or work in batches.
- Don’t stir constantly. The potatoes need a few minutes of contact with the pan to brown.
- Add the ghee or butter last. If using butter, keep the heat at medium-high instead of turning it up, since butter browns fast.
Storing and Reheating
Store leftover home fries in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 4 days. Reheat them in a hot skillet with a little oil, or in the air fryer at 400 degrees F for about 5 minutes. The microwave works to reheat, but the crispy edges can soften.
Leftovers also work in the bean filling for my Bean & Potato Burritos, in place of the roasted potatoes.
Looking for other breakfast potato options? Try my Sweet Potato & Potato Hash, Sweet Potato Breakfast Potatoes, or Make-Ahead Breakfast Potatoes.
Home Fries
Ingredients
- 1½ pounds russet potatoes, about 3 medium, peeled and cut into 1-inch cubes
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt, plus more to taste
- ½ teaspoon black pepper
- ½ teaspoon garlic powder
- ½ teaspoon onion powder
- 2 tablespoons ghee, or butter
- Fresh parsley, chopped, optional, for garnish
Instructions
- Wash and peel the potatoes. Cut into 1-inch cubes.
- Add the potatoes to a large skillet and cover with cold water. Add a pinch of salt. Bring to a boil and cook for 3 minutes, until just fork-tender on the outside but still firm in the center.
- Drain the potatoes in a colander and let them steam dry for 2 minutes. Wipe the skillet dry.
- Return the skillet to the stovetop over medium-high heat and add the olive oil.
- Once the oil is hot, add the potatoes in a single layer. Season with the rest of the salt, pepper, garlic powder, and onion powder. Toss to coat evenly.
- Fry for about 10 minutes, flipping every few minutes, until the potatoes start to brown.
- Add the ghee and toss to coat. Increase the heat slightly and cook 3 to 5 minutes longer, until the edges are crisp and scraggly.
- Taste and adjust the seasoning, if needed. Garnish with parsley (optional) and serve.
Notes
- Skillet size: A 12-inch nonstick or cast iron skillet fits this batch in one layer. To double the recipe, use two skillets so the potatoes brown instead of steam.
- Butter vs. ghee: If using butter, keep the heat at medium-high instead of raising it. The milk solids in butter can scorch.
- Steak seasoning: Make a batch of my 4-Ingredient Steak Seasoning blend to taste in place of the salt, pepper, garlic powder, and onion powder.
- Whole30 compatible: Using ghee instead of butter keeps this recipe Whole30.
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
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