Wednesday, April 30, 2014

Homestyle Skillet Potatoes


So as you all know, a big hunk of salmon isn’t a very "complete" meal – no matter how good it is (and trust me, it’s GOOD). You need a side to go with the meal!

When I first started cooking, I completely disregarded the importance of a good side dish. For the first few months of my cooking life, the only side I ever made was Birds Eye frozen vegetables. None of the cooking blogs I looked at ever really mentioned side dishes, and I was so focused on the main dish that I didn’t give it any thought. However, I now know that a good side dish is what really makes a meal special.

That is why I’m sharing this homestyle skillet potatoes recipe.

It’s hard for me to believe that there’s a single soul out there that doesn’t like potatoes. Seriously, what’s not to love? They’re salty and starchy and savory. And there are so many ways to cook them too.

What’s great about these skillet potatoes is that they’re exactly the type of comfort food I crave without all the added butter and cream found in mashed potatoes or loaded potatoes. Also, these skillet potatoes are very versatile meaning that you can season them however you please. I’m personally partial to garlicky potatoes with a little cayenne kick, but you could certainly season them with dill or rosemary or even paprika and cumin for a southwestern flair.




SKILLET RED POTATOES
Printable Recipe

INGREDIENTS
·      4 red potatoes
·      1 tablespoon vegetable oil
·      2 teaspoons garlic powder
·      1 teaspoon salt
·      1 teaspoon cayenne
·      1/2 teaspoon pepper

DIRECTIONS
1.     Dice the red potatoes into 1/2 inch cubes
2.     Combine the garlic powder, salt, cayenne, and pepper in a small bowl
3.     Toss the potatoes with the seasonings
4.     Heat the vegetable oil in a cast iron skillet over medium heat for 3 minutes (it should be very hot but not smoking)
5.     Add the potatoes to the skillet so they’re in a single layer
6.     Allow the potatoes to cook untouched for 3 minutes
7.     Stir the potatoes and let them sit untouched once again for 3 minutes so you can brown the other side
8.     Now that you’ve formed a crisp, outer layer it’s time to let the potatoes cook on low so they become tender. Do this by turning the burner temperature to about a 2 on the burner heat scale
9.     Let the potatoes cook on this low heat for about 20 minutes, stirring occasionally to make sure they don’t stick
10. Remove the skillet from the stove and dump the potatoes on a towel-lined plate to absorb any excess oil


Close-up of uncooked, diced potatoes with seasoning
Seasoned potatoes in bowl

Potatoes cooking in a single layer
Potatoes after turning them so they can brown on the other side
The finished product
Close-up of these savory spuds
Eat the homestyle skillet potatoes alone or pair them with a hearty filet


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