Simple Skillet Potatoes
I made these simple skillet potatoes in a nonstick pan. Normally I’ll use a cast iron pan for that crispiness but with a little bit of oil and some extra browning time on the burner. They come out nice without the cast iron pan. Even a low heat will do nicely as long as you maintain the olive oil and butter when needed in the pan.
You need to brown all sides for what I’ve achieved here. This is a recipe that needs to be tended to and not one where you can just set the heat and let it cook. Once the potatoes start to brown, they need to be flipped and moved around. Even out the heat distribution by moving things around in the pan. if it needs a little more butter then add a tablespoon
My own experience says that all pans have hot spots. You can minimize that by rotating the potatoes in the pan the same as you would rotate baked goods in the oven.
I used small red and white potatoes here (about a little bigger than the size of a golf ball) for this recipe. I just quartered them You can use any size of potato really, as long as you try and maintain bite size pieces.
| Prep Time | Cook Time | Total Time |
|---|---|---|
| 10 mins | 25-30 mins | 35-40 mins |
- 1 lb small potatoes
- 2 Cloves Garlic (crushed or sliced)
- 1 tsp salt
- 1 tsp pepper
- 2 tablespoons Olive Oil
- 2 tablespoons butter (approximately)
- Heat the pan with olive oil and 1/2 of the salt AND pepper. Wait until the oil starts to shimmer in the pan.
- Add potatoes, 1 tablespoon butter (and garlic if you like a bitter taste, otherwise wait until last step). Continue to cook with a cover on the pan for 15-20 minutes.
- Brown the potatoes on all sides, adding a teaspoon of olive oil and a tablespoon of butter here. Remove cover for last 10 minutes of cooking.
- Once potatoes are brown on all sides, add the salt and pepper (also add your garlic if you didn't already do so in step 2).
Recipe Rating: 5 / 5
The garlic can be treated a couple ways here. I slice the garlic and throw all of it in right from the beginning of cooking. This makes the garlic taste bitter and I like this taste with these skillet potatoes. This is NOT traditional. I acknowledge, I’m different in this regard. I will sometimes grab some sour cream and these taste great at this point.
If you don’t like bitter garlic (like most people), you should wait until the potatoes are brown on all sides before you drop your garlic in the pan along with some butter, salt and pepper.