Home fries, wedges, hash browns, tater tots, shoestring, curly – however you choose to do your potatoes – do them in the cast iron skillet! This method provides the perfect crispy, crunchy exterior and dreamy, creamy interior for which the potato is most loved and appreciated. The cast iron skillet allows the oil to heat to a perfect frying temperature and maintain it, while serving as the required seasoning for the pan. Be sure your skillet is well seasoned before starting out, and I guarantee this will be your new go-to method for cooking potatoes.
Today we’re frying up the most versatile cast iron skillet potatoes to please any hungry crowd. What I love most about this recipe is that it’s perfectly executed as a stand-alone side dish of homefry-style potatoes, but lends itself so nicely to a plethora of add-ins. Using this recipe as a base, I’ll often finely dice up red and green bell peppers and cook them until tender alongside the potatoes, finishing with a dusting of paprika and shredded Monterey jack cheese for a little added kick with my breakfast. My husband prefers this exact recipe with a scrambled egg poured into the cast iron skillet during the last few cooking minutes, creating a fluffy and delicious “potato and egg” meal, as he lovingly calls it. My son alternates between dipping these in plain old ketchup, or kicking it up with a spicy hot sauce. In a family with many different tastes, this recipe is a home run!
Flavorful Cast Iron Skillet Potatoes
Best Ever Skillet Potatoes
Equipment
- 12" Cast Iron Skillet
- Extra-large bowl
Ingredients
- 3 Russet Potatoes
- ¼-½ cup vegetable oil can also use peanut oil
- 1 tsp fresh garlic
- ½ Tbsp fresh, crushed rosemary
- ¼ tsp coarse salt
- 1 diced yellow onion
- 1 Tbsp unsalted butter
- 12 ice cubes
Instructions
- Scrub and wash potatoes. Begin cubing the potatoes, trying to make cuts of similar sized cubes. Remember the larger your potato cubes, the longer they will take to cook.
- Using a large bowl, add a layer of ice cubes to the bottom. Pour in your diced potatoes, and cover with cold water. Let sit in the refrigerator for 10-20 minutes. This step is important, and if you can soak for the full 20 minutes, you’ll get the best results. Soaking the potatoes in cold water removes excess starch, which is often responsible for a sticky (not crispy) exterior texture on the fried potatoes. This step also helps the potatoes cook evenly throughout the process.
- Remove from refrigerator, drain, and pat dry with tea towels.
- Preheat your empty cast iron skillet on medium heat, then slowly add ½ cup oil to the pan, being careful of splatter. Add a bit more oil if the pan doesn’t appear fully covered – you want the potatoes to be slightly buoyant when added to the oil, so they don’t just sit on the bottom of the pan. Bring to medium-high heat.
- Add diced potatoes in a single layer, taking care not to overcrowd the pan. If your potatoes are on the larger side, you may have to separate into a few batches, and that’s fine! Take your time, because overcrowding the pan will result in soggy homefries. If the oil is very smoky, reduce heat in small increments until a sizzling fry is achieved. If you have an oil thermometer, this step should have an oil temperature of about 325ﹾF.
- Fry about 2-3 minutes, watching for the potatoes to reach a golden brown on the bottom. Then cover the pan and reduce heat back to medium, allowing the potatoes to cook in the steam for another 2-3 minutes.
- Remove cover and return heat to medium high, turning over the potatoes with a spatula to cook on the opposite side. If you have an oil thermometer, this step should have an oil temperature of about 375ﹾF. Allow the potatoes to fry in the skillet for another 2-3 minutes, checking to make sure the bottoms aren’t getting too dark (reduce heat if so).
- Add in diced onion and garlic, letting cook until aromatic (about 1-2 minutes), then gently stir in rosemary.
- Turn heat down to medium-low and add a tablespoon of butter into the skillet. Gently shift around the potatoes so they all get a little extra fry from the added butter. Check for doneness, there should be just a second of resistance from the outer crust and then your fork should go smoothly through the potato. If still too soft, add another minute to the cooking time and check again.
- Use a slotted spoon to gently remove the potatoes from the pan and place on clean paper towels, then sprinkle with the salt and pepper. Allow to drain on the paper towels for five minutes, and serve.