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I’ll just start out by saying, this is not a fancy recipe. These are the fried potatoes I grew up eating; made in a cast-iron skillet and fried in bacon grease over controlled heat. The recipe isn’t complicated, but mastery of it takes time. A lot of time.

In my case it took somewhere around 10 years.

There are no times associated with this recipe. In all actuality, it’s more a set of guidelines. You have to be able to feel when it’s time to move on to the next step. It’s not hard, but it’s not easy, either. It’s kind of like walking, simple as an adult, but it was a bugger when you first started doing it!

The first time I tried to make fried potatoes my mother’s way it was a total disaster. The potatoes stuck to the pan. Once I’d pried them loose, they burned almost immediately. The onions were nothing but black bits.

It was horrible.

And she just smiled.

I was 16 at the time. Relegated to kitchen duty because it seemed that my sister and I had taken my mother a bit to much for granted. Our penance for this oversight (and it was one!) was that each of us was to take charge of the house for one week. I will admit to failing miserably at it, but mom got her point across.

I never quite got over the burnt potato bit. I would try to make them, but if they looked perfect on the outside, they were raw in the middle. If they were done in the middle, they were either steamed instead of fried, too greasy to eat, or blackened beyond recognition. The heat was either too high or too low, or something else.

I remember that when they came out properly, my mother would always say.

“Granny was with us, they’re perfect.”

I tend to say something like

“Mom musta’ been here, these are perfect!”

These spuds are my ultimate comfort food, especially when paired with beans and cornbread.

I will share with you what I can of the magic that is Dorris’ Fried Potatoes, and I wouldn’t suggest you give up if the first attempt fails. The result, when it comes out properly, is nothing short of amazing.

8 Servings

Dorris' Fried Potatoes Recipe

Prep Time: 10 minutes

Cook Time: 20 minutes

Total Time: 30 minutes

Ingredients

Four to seven russet potatoes, peeled and cut into 3/4-inch pieces. (This depends on the size of the potatoes and the size of the skillet. My skillet is 11 1/2, so I can generally fit 6 medium sized russet’s comfortably. A different sized skillet means a different amount.)
3-7 Tablespoons bacon grease (or butter, or olive oil, or Crisco… I’d go with the bacon grease if possible)
1 small onion, chopped
Salt and pepper to taste

Instructions

Heat a heavy skillet over medium heat. When hot, add fat of your choice allow to come to a shimmer. (Just before smoking.)
Add potatoes to skillet as quickly (and safely) as possible in a single layer. If you’ve cut too many to fit in the pan, make them in batches.
Reduce heat to medium low, then walk away. Do not attempt to move the potatoes around, they’re stuck to the pan like cement at this point, and that’s exactly what you wanted to happen. Hang out, have a cup of coffee and use your ears and nose to guide you.
When there’s nearly no sizzle left in the pan and the potatoes start smelling almost sweet, it’s time to stir it up. Use a stiff spatula and carefully dislodge the potatoes from the bottom of the skillet (if they’re sticking at all.) then walk away.
Moving things around in the pan too often will irrevocably damage the process. Wait about 5 minutes and stir the potatoes again. Take stock of the amount of grease in the pan. If it looks dry, add another tablespoon.
Salt the spuds profusely. Don’t worry, they’ll soak almost all of it up without a noticeable effect on taste, but now is the time we want them to start letting go of the moisture we’ve trapped inside. Wait about 5 more minutes and toss the onions into the skillet. Add pepper.
By now it should be safe to keep them moving more often, and you’ll need to do so if you want to keep the onions from burning. Caramelized is fine, burnt isn’t.
When the onions are cooked to your liking and the spuds are fork-tender, you’re done.
(you’ll probably want to add more salt at this point, so give ‘em a try)
Serve with beans and cornbread, or just toss some cheese over the top and drizzle with your favorite hot sauce and Enjoy!

Nutrition Information:

Yield:

Serving Size:

1
Amount Per Serving: Calories: 251Total Fat: 11gSaturated Fat: 4gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 6gCholesterol: 11mgSodium: 75mgCarbohydrates: 33gFiber: 4gSugar: 2gProtein: 4g

We all have our own “Ultimate comfort food.” What’s yours?

9 Comments

Name: Dorris' Fried Potatoes Recipe
Prep time: 10 min
Cook time: 20 min
Total time: 30 min
Yield: 8
Ingredients: Four to seven russet potatoes, peeled and cut into 3/4-inch pieces. (This depends on the size of the potatoes and the size of the skillet. My skillet is 11 1/2, so I can generally fit 6 medium sized russet’s comfortably. A different sized skillet means a different amount.); 3-7 Tablespoons bacon grease (or butter, or olive oil, or Crisco… I’d go with the bacon grease if possible); 1 small onion, chopped; Salt and pepper to taste

Paul Dorris on July 22, 2008 at 9:12 pm
we have to be related that was dinner twice a week this recipe is a standered on my side of the Dorris family but it had to be served with beans and cornbread and dont for get the gravy
Shannon Kraesig on August 6, 2008 at 6:42 pm
Thank you for this recipe and the suggestion about “walk away” and do not move them around. I have been trying to figure out what I’ve been doing wrong for years and now I know. Mine weren’t burning…they were just mushy because all the good crunchy part was stuck to the bottom of the pan. Another good tip is to use a metal spatula as it is easier to “dislodge” the potatos.
Rob Miles on July 5, 2009 at 12:24 pm
Wow. The internet is a great thing. Two and a half years after you post a recipe for fried potatoes, I find it via a Google search. In 40+ years of cooking I have never had success with fried potatoes. Getting that crispy crust without destroying the tater, without leaving it all stuck to the bottom of the pan, well, that just eluded me. And now, in one shot, I found what I was looking for. Thank you. Walking away was HARD but I kept pushing myself away from the stove. And they turned out perfect. Unfortunately, now my wife is going to want them at least once a week!!!
Matthew on October 26, 2009 at 8:47 pm
The recipe was great, I like to fry about 1/4 lb of deli bacon until crisp and use that grease to do the potatoes. I have never had a problem with them sticking when I use a cast iron skillet to do this. Crumble the bacon on top and yum.
Rachael on June 3, 2010 at 7:33 am
Hey,
Thank you so much for sharing this recipe and back story. Always wondered what I was doing wrong, can’t wait to try this now. Thanks again, from Ireland
- Jerry on June 7, 2010 at 5:02 pm
  Rachael,
  Glad I could help!
Avanti on September 7, 2010 at 11:39 am
Hi Jerry,
Thanks for this recipe.. It worked! ..I would never have believed it would.
Can’t stress enough on the ” walk away” step of the recipe! :-) As you mentioned in the recipe, as soon as I added the potatoes to the skillet.. They “stuck like cement” … Took a lot of nerve to walk away!
Great recipe!
- Jerry on September 11, 2010 at 5:25 pm
  It’s the hardest part to learn without a doubt! Once you have the method down, they come out perfectly though.
Vickie Maxwell on February 5, 2012 at 8:07 am
I have always sliced my potatoes, maybe chunks would be better.