Along with the Incredibly Quick Chicken a few night ago, I also cooked up some crunchy -soft potatoes in another cast iron pan at the same time. My cast iron pans live on top of the stove, and they are what I use most often. For these potatoes, as well as the chicken, cast iron gets hot enough to brown quickly and sear things to golden in no time.
I had a Yukon Gold baked potato leftover in the fridge. I took a fresh potato out of the bin, and put it in the microwave for 4-5 minutes. It cooked it soft, much like the baked potato already was. Skins are on.
I diced up both potatoes into about 1 inch pieces, dropped into some hot oil and let the potato start to brown. Since they are already cooked, the browning can happen fast – no need to cook the potato through. Meanwhile, I chopped up about a tablespoon of fresh rosemary, ready to add flavor.
While I rarely deep fry anything, a quick saute like this can create a crispy outside, but leave the inside of the potato soft and fluffy, hence you need large pieces, not a small dice like home fries would be. And the potatoes really pick up very little oil, since the heat is rather high for the browning action.
Crunchy Rosemary Potatoes
Left over baked potatoes or microwave cooked potatoes can turn into bites that are crunchy on the outside, but still soft and fluffy on the inside. Rosemary (or substitute your favorite herb) punch up the flavor. Plan on one potato per person,
Ingredients
- 4 each Russett or Yukon Gold potatoes
- 1 -2 tbsp butter, or olive oil or a mix or use duck fat or bacon grease
Instructions
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If the potatoes are uncooked, pop into the microwave for about 5 minutes until almost cooked through. Leave the skin on. Left over baked potatoes work well.
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Cut cooked potatoes into 1 inch cubes
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Heat up a heavy pan over medium high heat, cast iron or steel. Heat til quite hot, and add your preferred oil, butter or grease.
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Drop the potatoes in and level into one layer. Do not stir. After 5-6 minutes turn a piece over to check for a lovely golden color. Once the pieces seem browned, use a flat turner to flip pieces around to another side. Let sit again for 4-5 minutes. Reduce heat if needed to prevent scorching. Stir and flip one more time, and sprinkle in the rosemary.
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Turn off the heat, and left the potatoes finish browning with the residue heat of the pan, and absorb the rosemary essence.
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Serve immediately.
Recipe Notes
Because the potato is already baked, it does not need time to cook in the skillet. In a well seasoned cast iron pan, 1 -2 tbsp of oil or grease is all that is needed to encourage the browning and crispy outside. Reserved duck or bacon grease will add wonderful flavor, should you be lucky enough to have it on hand. Any herb will work, but the fragrance of rosemary goes particularly nice with potato, and stands up to the saute.