Breakfast Potatoes

I love breakfast potatoes (or home fries, cottage fries, or whatever you prefer to call them), but they take a while to make. It's a rare morning when I wake up with enough time and patience to chop potatoes and wait for them to cook, in the oven or on the stovetop.

That's why I was so excited to read about this brilliant shortcut on Blue Kitchen: microwaving the potatoes for a few minutes with a little water gives them a head start, and they then finish cooking quickly in a skillet over medium-high heat. The best part is that this technique is more than just a shortcut: the potatoes turn out BETTER than potatoes cooked only in the oven or skillet--perfectly browned and crisp on the outside, and tender but not dry on the inside.

As you can see, I like to chop my potatoes nice and small: this gives a higher ratio of surface area to interior (more crunch!) and allows them to cook more quickly and evenly.

These potatoes are seasoned simply, with salt, pepper, and bittersweet smoked paprika, which provides extra color as well as flavor.  Cooking them in bacon grease makes them especially indulgent (and may be just the reason you need to fry up some bacon to enjoy alongside your potatoes!).

Although I'm calling these breakfast potatoes, they're delicious at any time of day and pair well with almost anything.  Most recently I enjoyed these alongside baked eggs, but they're also perfect with mini quiches, an omelette or frittata, or a quick dinner like this balsamic chicken.

Breakfast Potatoes
Yield: 4-5 servings
Prep time: 10 minutes
Cook time: 15 minutes

Ingredients (technique adapted from Blue Kitchen):

3 large Russet potatoes, chopped into 1/2-inch cubes
1 tablespoon water
3 tablespoons melted ghee, bacon grease, or extra virgin olive oil, divided
1 teaspoon sea salt, plus more to taste
Freshly ground black pepper
1/2 teaspoon bittersweet smoked paprika

Chopped scallions, chives, or herbs, for serving

Place the chopped potatoes in a large microwaveable bowl and add the water.  Cover the top of the bowl loosely with parchment and microwave on high for 4 minutes.

Drain any excess water and pat the potatoes dry with a paper towel.

Add one tablespoon of your fat of choice and toss the potatoes to coat.  Season with salt, pepper, and paprika, and toss again so the potatoes are coated evenly.

Heat the remaining two tablespoons of fat in a very large skillet (or two skillets if necessary--you will want all the potatoes to fit in one layer) over medium-high heat.  When the pan is hot, add the potatoes and arrange them in a single layer.  Cook undisturbed for about two minutes, until nicely browned on the bottom.  Toss and continue to cook, tossing every minute or so, for 8-10 minutes, until the potatoes are nicely browned on the outside and tender on the inside.

Season with additional salt and pepper to taste.  Sprinkle with scallions, chives, or herbs if desired and serve right away.

Used in this recipe:

   

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