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Saturday, September 25, 2010

O'Brien Style Cast Iron Skillet Fried Potatoes

Red skin potatoes are fried up in a cast iron skillet with sweet Vidalia onion and bell pepper and nicely seasoned for a take on Potatoes O'Brien. Great for any meal - add bacon, ham, sausage, fresh herbs and mushrooms if you like!
Red skin potatoes are fried up in a cast iron skillet with sweet Vidalia onion and bell pepper and nicely seasoned for a take on Potatoes O'Brien. Great for any meal - add bacon, ham, sausage, fresh herbs and mushrooms if you like!

Potatoes O'Brien - Skillet Fried Potatoes

Skillet fried potatoes, also known as home fries and cottage fries in the north, are such an easy side dish, that goes well with breakfast, but also as a dinner side dish. For my classic skillet potatoes I use peeled russets, some onion and that's about it other than the delicious fat used to cook them in - for me, I love using bacon drippings for the extra richness it provides - and the very specific method.

For this version of skillet potato, I prefer to use the smaller, unpeeled red-skinned or new potatoes. The skin is tender, and to me tasty, and they cook up nicely without the steaming process that is necessary for our beloved fried taters and onion. If you prefer to use a russet, rather than a red skinned potato, you certainly can, though I'd click over to that other recipe, because I think that method works best with russets.

I also like these skin-on skillet potatoes cooked with both onion and sweet bell pepper, either red, green or yellow, or any combination of them, making this dish akin to what most folks know as Potatoes O'Brien. You could certainly leave them out if you just want potatoes.

Heat bacon drippings or oil in a cast iron skillet over medium heat until hot. Add the potatoes, onion and bell pepper all at once and turn heat up to medium high. Sprinkle with salt and pepper and toss until all the veggies are coated with oil. Let sit uncovered, and without turning, in order to brown underside, then give it an occasional stir to turn and cook all sides of the veggies.


Continue stir frying until the potatoes are tender and you reach the desired level of browning, adjusting the heat as needed. Do not cover. Taste, adjust seasonings as desired, adding any additional seasonings you like, and toss in a tablespoon or so of butter, if desired. Serve immediately.


Add fresh herbs if you're making it for supper and there are any number of add-ins you can also use with these, from leftover meats, veggies, beans, whatever you like really. Stir in cooked bacon, ground beef, ham, sausage or pork, and when I have some fresh mushrooms, I like to toss in a few of those too.

Here's how to make them.

Recipe: Potatoes O'Brien - Skillet Fried Potatoes

©From the Kitchen of Deep South Dish 
Prep time: 10 min
Cook time: 20 min

Total time: 30 min
Yield: About 2 to 4 servings

Ingredients
  • 1-1/2 tablespoons of bacon drippings, canola or olive oil
  • 6 medium sized red-skinned potatoes
  • 1/2 cup of Vidalia or yellow onion, coarsely chopped
  • 1/4 cup of green and/or yellow, orange or red bell pepper, or any combination, coarsely chopped
  • Salt and pepper, to taste
  • Butter, optional
  • Seasoning salt, Cajun/Creole seasoning and/or garlic salt/powder, to taste, optional
Instructions

Scrub potatoes and pat dry; cut into small cubes. Heat bacon drippings or oil in a cast iron skillet over medium heat until hot. Add the potatoes, onion and bell pepper all at once and turn heat up to medium high. Sprinkle with salt and pepper and toss until all the veggies are coated with oil. Let sit uncovered, and without turning, in order to brown underside, then give it an occasional stir to turn and cook all sides of the veggies.

Continue stir frying until the potatoes are tender and you reach the desired level of browning, adjusting the heat as needed. Do not cover. Taste, adjust seasonings as desired, adding any additional seasonings you like, and toss in a tablespoon or so of butter, if desired. Serve immediately.

Cook's Notes: If serving this as a side dish for supper, stir in a bit of fresh chopped herbs just before serving. Some good choices would be crushed or chopped rosemary, chopped dill, thyme, oregano, or flat leaf parsley. Substitute any other potato for the red skinned variety. Swap jalapenos for the sweet bell pepper for a little more fire. To make this main dish, stir in cooked bacon, ground beef, ham sausage or pork. Mushrooms are also a great addition.

Source: http://deepsouthdish.com

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Posted by on September 25, 2010
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