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Dad’s Home Fries

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by Diane Ringler | Apr 11, 2022 | Brunch, orange, Sides

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YIELDS:

4 servings

PREP TIME:

8 hours 20 mins

COOK TIME:

0 hours 15 mins

TOTAL TIME:

8 hours 35 mins
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ingredients

2 Large Idaho potatoes, peeled, washed and cut into chunks

1 Red bell pepper, chopped into small dice

1/2 Yellow onion, thinly sliced

Olive oil

Kosher salt and freshly grated black pepper

Paprika

DIRECTIONS

1. The night before making your home fries, cook your potatoes in a pot of cold water (to start) that has been seasoned with salt. Bring the water to a boil and cook until you can pierce the potato with a knife. About 5-8 minutes. Drain the potatoes and let them cool. Put in the refrigerator over night.
2. When you are ready to make the home fries, remove the potatoes from the fridge and cut into small chunks (about 1/2 inch). Season with salt and pepper.
3. Heat up a cast iron pan or large flat iron skillet and add about 2 tablespoons of oil. Once hot, add the potatoes. Sprinkle liberally with the paprika. Stir once or twice for around 5 minutes. Add the pepper and onions.
4. Continue cooking and stirring the veggies around until the potatoes are brown and crispy and the veggies are wilted and browned in spots. Taste and sprinkle again with salt and pepper if needed. NOTE: Potatoes take a lot of salt so be sure to taste and adjust accordingly.
5. Serve on a platter topped with chopped parsley or chives.

NOTE: My dad didn’t cook often but when he did, the food was great.  We always got something different…something mom never made.  His famous home fries were one of those items.  My dad had worked as a short order cook in a diner in NYC when he was young and these potatoes were a product of his years on the “line”.  Mind you, as a kid I had no idea what a short order cook was or for that matter, what “line” he was talking about.  BUT it sounded like fun…must have stuck with me.  LOL

As you can tell, there isn’t anything special here except he insisted those potatoes had to be cooked the night before and chilled.  So, that is exactly what I do…don’t argue with your father!  You also had to use a good deal of paprika not only for taste but because it helped “brown” the potatoes. He’d make these on this flat pancake pan (griddle?) that we had in the house.  It covered two burners and was completely flat.  He said it was like the griddle at the diner.  Full disclosure, I don’t have one of those so I just use a cast iron skillet.  I find that gets the potatoes nice and crusty on the bottom…just the way my dad liked ’em.

They were usually served with breakfast but they’d be great with a steak too.  If you’d like to see our families Easter Breakfast menu (same one every year), check that our here.  Enjoy!