Equipment
* optional
Ingredients
Vegetables
- 800 g russet potatoes, scrubbed, skin-on, cut into 1.5cm cubes
- 150 g yellow onion, diced
- 10 g garlic, minced
Seasonings & Oil
- 45 ml olive oil
- 4 g paprika
- 6 g kosher salt
- 2 g black pepper, freshly cracked
Nutrition (per serving)
Nutrition is estimated per serving. Nutrients without complete source data are omitted.
Full nutrition
- Calories
- 830 kcal
- Protein
- 15 g
- Carbohydrates
- 171 g
- Fat
- 11 g
- Fiber
- 13 g
- Sugar
- 9 g
- Sodium
- 697 mg
- Saturated Fat
- 2 g
- Monounsaturated Fat
- 8 g
- Polyunsaturated Fat
- 1 g
- Potassium
- 2093 mg
- Calcium
- 147 mg
- Iron
- 3.2 mg
- Magnesium
- 133 mg
- Phosphorus
- 343 mg
- Zinc
- 1.2 mg
- Vitamin A
- 25 mcg
- Vitamin C
- 11 mg
- Vitamin E
- 2.3 mg
- Vitamin K
- 7 mcg
- Vitamin B6
- 1.6 mg
- Thiamin
- 0.47 mg
- Riboflavin
- 0.12 mg
- Niacin
- 7.1 mg
- Folate
- 51 mcg
- Water
- 15 g
Sources: Aggregated Public Data, USDA FoodData Central
Method
Preheat your oven to 220C/425F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
Cut the washed potatoes into 1.5cm cubes, leaving the skins on for extra texture. Dice the onion and mince the garlic.
In a large mixing bowl, toss the cubed potatoes, diced onion, and minced garlic with olive oil, paprika, kosher salt, and black pepper. Stir until all the potatoes are evenly coated in the seasoning and oil.
Spread the potato mixture out onto the prepared baking sheet. Ensure the potatoes are in a single, even layer to allow for proper roasting rather than steaming.
Place the baking sheet in the oven and bake at 220C/425F for 20 minutes.
Remove the baking sheet from the oven. Carefully flip and stir the potatoes using a spatula to expose the un-browned sides to the hot pan.
Return the potatoes to the oven and bake for an additional 13 minutes, or until the edges are nicely browned and the centers are entirely soft.
Remove the home fries from the oven, let them rest on the pan for 2 minutes to settle, then transfer to a dish and serve hot.
Chef's Notes
- For the absolute crispiest exterior, soak the cubed potatoes in cold water for 10 minutes to remove excess surface starch. Drain and pat them completely dry with a kitchen towel before tossing with oil.
- Preheating the baking sheet can give the potatoes a fantastic head start on crisping. Place your empty, lightly oiled baking sheet in the oven while it preheats, then carefully spread the seasoned potatoes onto the hot pan.
- If you want to introduce a touch of diner authenticity, replace half of the olive oil with melted clarified butter or bacon fat.
- Do not skimp on the salt before baking; potatoes require heavy seasoning raw to taste properly seasoned once cooked.
Storage
Refrigerator: 3 days — Store in an airtight container.
Freezer: 1 month — Texture may become slightly mealy upon thawing.
Reheating: Reheat in a 200C/400F oven for 10 minutes or pan-fry in a lightly oiled skillet to restore crispness.
Troubleshooting
Potatoes are soggy and pale instead of crispy.
Cause: The baking sheet was overcrowded, causing the potatoes to steam rather than roast.
Fix: Increase oven temperature to 230C/450F and bake for an additional 5-10 minutes.
Prevention: Always use a large enough baking sheet to keep the potatoes in a single layer with some breathing room. Use two sheets if doubling the recipe.
Garlic burned and tastes bitter.
Cause: Fresh garlic minced too finely can burn at high roasting temperatures.
Fix: Cannot be fixed once burned. Pick out the darkest pieces if possible.
Prevention: Leave garlic pieces slightly larger, or toss the minced garlic in during the final 10 minutes of baking.
Cultural Context
Home fries are an iconic pillar of the classic American diner breakfast, typically griddled beside sunny-side-up eggs, bacon, and thick-cut toast. Their origins stem from a pragmatic pioneer and farmhouse tradition of utilizing leftover boiled or baked potatoes from dinner the night before, frying them up to create a hearty, carbohydrate-rich morning meal.
