Crispy cast-iron skillet potatoes, easy and quick to make on the stovetop. All you need are potatoes, some spices, and a skillet.
Easy Skillet Potatoes
These easy potatoes fried in the skillet are one of our favorite potato side dishes. Or a light main meal sometimes, a salad and a chili or yogurt dip on the side are perfectly sufficient many times.
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What kind of skillet to use for making crispy potatoes?
The best choice is a large cast-iron skillet. For this many tubers (800 g/ 1.8 lbs.), you will need a large skillet; mine has a diameter of 30 cm/ 12 inches. The slices should fit comfortably in the pan, and they should not overlap too much so that all of them have the chance to get really brown and crispy.
Alternatively, you can use a large non-stick pan; it also works well. What I would not use is a stainless-steel pan; you would need too much fat to stop the food from catching at the bottom.
And if you like using your skillet for cooking, you should definitely try the Cast-Iron Chicken Breast or the Cast-Iron Pork Tenderloin, two of our most popular recipes.
Ingredients needed
Potatoes:
- I like using small ones with medium starch content for this recipe. They are easier to cut into regular-sized slices.
- But you can use large ones, slice them regularly and cook them until brown and soft.
- New potatoes are a great choice as well.
Fat: Olive oil (or vegetable oil) and butter.
Spices:
- Salt and pepper would be enough as well, but I like to add more spices and dried herbs for extra flavor.
- I often use this combination of smoked and sweet paprika, dried rosemary, and oregano. Rosemary is like a reflex for me when it comes to roasted potatoes of any kind; I add it all the time.
- You can use other spice combinations as well, whatever you like. Dried thyme or savory are great as well; you can add hot paprika or red chili flakes, chili powder, garlic powder, curry, or a ready-bought spice blend.
- If using fresh herbs instead of dried, add them at the end.
- Add a few sliced fresh garlic cloves. In this case, add them during the last 2-3 minutes of the cooking time and stir often to make sure that they don’t burn.
How to cook potatoes in a cast-iron skillet?
- Peel if desired. You can leave the peel on, but I only do that when I have new ones. Otherwise, I am not much into the skin, especially when they are not organic.
- Wash and dry them well.
- Slice thickly, about 1 cm/ 0.4 inches. (1)
- Heat the cast-iron skillet on high heat. Turn the heat down to medium, and add olive oil and butter to the pan.
- Let the fat foam for 2-3 seconds before adding the potato slices and all the spices. Stir well to coat. (2)
- Cook for about 30 minutes on medium-low heat, flipping very often and making sure that they get brown on both sides. Some pieces will brown faster than others depending on the stovetop’s hot spots; that is why it’s important to move the slices often so that none of them burns. (3,4)
- Using tongs for flipping helps to make sure that all of them are turned on the other side of the skillet; some pieces are stubborn and refuse to turn when you only push them with a wooden spoon.
- Turn the heat down to low if the potatoes turn too brown before getting soft.
- Sprinkle with parsley before serving if desired.
What to serve with the skillet-fried potatoes?
They go well with pretty much anything, a side dish suitable for most main dishes and occasions. Try them as they are with a Shopska Salad on German Cabbage Salad on the side. Add chili, cheese, or tahini dip.
Or serve with chicken, meats, sausages, and fish. For instance, with Roasted Chicken Leg Quarters or Baked BBQ Chicken Breast. With Tagliata, Brats on the Stove, or Brats in the Oven.
Store and reheat
The skillet potatoes are best served immediately. However, you can reheat them in the skillet or in the oven again. Add some oil or butter to the pan and turn them around until hot or reheat them in the oven at 180 degrees/ 350 degrees Fahrenheit until heated through, about 10-15 minutes.
More cast-iron skillet recipes
Cast-Iron Skillet Potatoes
Ingredients
- 2 lbs small potatoes 1 kg, Note 1
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 1 tablespoon butter
- ½ teaspoon smoked paprika Note 2
- ½ teaspoon sweet paprika
- ½ teaspoon dried rosemary
- ½ teaspoon dried oregano
- 1 teaspoon fine sea salt
- ground black pepper to taste
- parsley optional
Instructions
- Prepare potatoes: Peel and wash the potatoes. Dry them well. Slice thickly, about 1 cm/ 0.4 inches.
- Heat a skillet on high heat. Turn the heat down to medium, add olive oil and butter to the pan. Let foam shortly and add the potato slices and all the spices. Stir well to coat the potatoes with the fat and the spices.
- Cook for about 30 minutes on medium-low heat, flipping the potatoes very often and making sure they get brown on both sides. Turn the heat to low if the potatoes turn too brown before getting soft (Note 3).
- Serve: Sprinkle with parsley before serving if desired.
Notes
- Potatoes with medium starch content, also known as all-purpose. I prefer small ones, but larger ones are fine, just cut them into appropriate-sized slices and cook until they are brown and crispy on the outside and soft on the inside.
- I prefer sweet, but you can use hot to taste.
- The potatoes will be deeply brown, especially around the edges, but they should not get burned. Using tongs for flipping helps ensure that all the potatoes are turned on the other side in the skillet.
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