Chunky Ranch-Style Home Fries

by Cheryl Alters Jamison and Bill Jamison
from A Real American Breakfast:
The Best Meal of the Day, Any Time of the Day
(William Morrow, 2002)
Serves 4 as a side dish

Whether in diners or cozy breakfast nooks at home, every good cook should have a recipe for home fries in his or her arsenal. And this is it. If you don’t have leftover potatoes for hash browns, you can easily make equally good home fries from scratch. Starting with raw potatoes means a longer cooking time, but they require little more than an occasional stir while you’re figuring out your weekend. If you want to double the serving, make it in two skillets.—Cheryl Alters Jamison and Bill Jamison

convert Ingredients
3 tablespoons unsalted butter
1 1/2 to 1 3/4 pounds russet or Yukon Gold potatoes, peeled and cut into 3/4-inch cubes
Salt and freshly milled black pepper to taste
1/4 cup diced onion
1/4 cup diced green bell pepper
1/4 cup diced red bell pepper or additional green bell pepper
1/2 teaspoon chili powder, optional
Minced fresh chives or parsley, optional

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Method
1. Warm the butter in a 10- to 12-inch cast-iron skillet over medium-low heat. Stir in the potatoes, and when coated with a bit of butter, season them with salt and pepper and cover the skillet. Cook for 20 minutes, during which you should hear only a faint cooking sound.

2. Uncover the potatoes and cook for 30 minutes longer, turning them at 10 minute intervals and patting them back down. When you turn them the first time, stir in the onion, bell peppers, and chili powder if desired. As the potatoes soften, pat them down more lightly, bringing as much of their surface in contact with the skillet as possible without mashing them.

3. Cook the potatoes for about 20 minutes longer, turning them at 5-minute intervals. During the last 10 minutes, bring the heat up to medium and, if you wish, add more salt and pepper. The home fries are ready when the potato cubes are richly browned and clearly crisp with tender, melting centers. Plate them up immediately, scatter with chives if you wish, and serve.

Recipe © 2002 Cheryl Alters Jamison and Bill Jamison. All rights reserved.
© 2009 Leite’s Culinaria, Inc. All rights reserved. Terms of use.