Skillet potatoes made by Judith Jones for Julia. Yes…that Julia. A simple combination of potatoes, butter, salt, and garlic cooked in a skillet until golden brown. Simple but utter perfection.
Once, when I was in Cambridge working all day nonstop with Julia Child, as we often did, it was almost 11 p.m. when she finally swept away the manuscript and announced we’d make dinner. She then turned to me and said: “Judith, you make a nice little potato dish while I fix the meat.” Slightly unnerved, I managed to rise to the occasion and put together what I would call a fast stovetop version of the classic potatoes Anna. As I mashed some garlic and salt together and smeared this between the layers of sliced potatoes, Julia was looking on a bit skeptically, and although I used lots of butter, of which she always approved, it wasn’t clarified butter. But when we sat down and she took her first bite, she pronounced the potatoes delicious, and her husband, Paul, toasted me. I was in cook’s heaven. I probably made my potato dish that night in a standard round 5- or 6- inch skillet for the three of us, but in recent years I’ve made it regularly for myself in a 4 1/2-inch-square cast-iron frying pan, which once belonged to my father. After he retired, he liked cooking for himself, and I remember his acquiring this little pan with pride so that he could make himself one perfect fried egg. It’s unlikely that you’ll have such a pan, particularly one imbued with fond memories, but any very small skillet will do.–Judith Jones
Skillet Potatoes for Two
Ingredients
- 2 medium new potatoes or 1 large russet potato*
- 1 small garlic clove
- Salt to taste
- 4 teaspoons butter
- Freshly ground pepper
Directions
- Peel the potato(es) and slice them very thin.
- Peel and mince the garlic. Using the flat of your chef ’s knife, smash the garlic along with a little salt on your cutting board until a paste forms. Work about 2 teaspoons of the butter into the paste.
- Heat 2 teaspoons of the butter in a small, preferably well-seasoned cast-iron skillet over medium-low heat. Place half of the potato slices in the skillet, overlapping them slightly and covering the bottom of the skillet. Lightly season the spuds with salt and pepper, then smear the garlic paste on top. Add the remaining potatoes in the same fashion.
- Cook the potatoes gently over medium-low heat, placing a small cover askew on top of the pan. After about 8 minutes, turn the potatoes, which should be brown on the bottom, by removing the cover and setting a small, sturdy plate on top of the pan and flipping the potatoes over onto it. They won’t hold together in perfect shape, but don’t worry. Heat the remaining butter in the pan, then just slide the potatoes back in and arrange them as neatly as you can. Let them cook, semi- covered, for about 5 minutes, and then cook uncovered for a couple more minutes, at which point they should be tender thoughout and nicely browned on both top and bottom. The timing will vary slightly depending on the size of the skillet, the heat of the flame, and just how thick you sliced the potatoes.
- Turn the potatoes onto a warm dinner plate and let them mingle with whatever meat and its juices you are having for dinner.
Notes
*How do I thinly slice potatoes?
For a recipe that only needs a few potatoes, you might not want to pull out your mandolin but it IS the best way to get uniformly thin slices. A food processor will work too, but only if the spuds are small enough to fit in the feed tube. If you have a decently sharp knife and a steady hand, you can also do it the old-fashioned way, of course. Uniformly sliced potatoes mean that everything will cook at the same rate, giving you crisp outsides and fluffy insides.Show Nutrition
Recipe Testers' Reviews
This has become my favorite side dish. So simple yet, so perfect. What, No cheese? No bacon? EVERYTHING you need is here. If it was good enough for Julia, it must be good enough for us.
This is a delightfully simple, quick, and tasty potato dish. Since the recipe didn’t state one way or the other, I used salted butter, along with a little more salt to season the potatoes. I also used one large potato (as I could only find small, large, or gargantuan), and this worked out quite well. I cooked these a little longer than suggested, as they didn’t brown to the extent that I wanted them to be, but I didn’t alter the recipe otherwise. The recipe is perfect as it is. No wonder Julia was pleased.
Originally published July 19, 2010
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These potatoes are fantastic! Made them last night (in my grandmother’s small cast iron skillet – I’m the third generation to use it) to go with D’Artagnan duck leg confit. I confess to using half regular butter and half black truffle butter. Tomorrow for brunch I’m going to make them again and add the shredded leftover confit. With over easy eggs and a simple green salad it should be great. And perhaps a glass of Champagne.
Perhaps a glass of Champagne? My dear Marion, you had me thinking we were kindred souls until I read that you only maybe will have Champagne with your duck confit and potatoes. Kidding. That all sounds spectacular and you’ve inspired me to do the same. Thank you!
Ha ha — just saw this, Renee. The hash was great and now I know the only way to have it is with champagne. . . ..I do love this site; I’ve put many recipes into regular rotation.
Lovely to hear, on all counts, Marion!
As we are a family of 5 I decided to triple it, wished I had quadrupled it. Tripling it was tight for the 5 of us, REAL tight. But… ohhh so good. And am sorry LC Empty Larder or Lazy Cook but in this case I would have to disagree. As much as I DO love potato slices in olive oil, these ones are winners!
I have made this dish twice in the last week. It has gone on our weekly meal rotation. My husband and I love it, which I was sure of, but what surprised me is how much our three kids DEVOURED the dish!
This sounds sooo delicious. If it was Julia-approved it must be really excellent. I just ate at a Chinese restaurant that Julia used to frequent (in Boston’s Chinatown) and it was excellent.
Anyway, thanks for the memories and the recipe. I have to try this.
RisaG
Our pleasure, RisaG. Enjoy!
This is a good recipe. It turned out delicious, but mine was not nearly as pretty as the picture. I think next time I need to devote more attention to browning it just right, and maybe using a larger cast iron skillet. As suggested, in my “pleasure of cooking for one,” I used my little tiny iron skillet which is about six inches wide. It was a bit awkward for doing the plate-flip-thing.
But anyway, thanks for the recipe. It was tasty and I will cook a tribute to Julia anytime. 🙂