Skillet Home Fries
Diced potatoes crisped in a pan with paprika and garlic. Breakfast that holds up all morning.
- calories
- 330
- weight
- 9 oz
- cal / oz
- 37
- protein
- 6 g
- serves
- 4, scales
- prep
- 10 min
- cook
- 25 min
- total time
- 35 min
- water
- none
- cost
- $
Calorie and protein figures are my own estimates, good enough for planning a food bag and not meant as precise nutrition data.
- Breakfast
- Dinner
- Campfire coals
- Canister stove
- Liquid fuel
- Grill grate
- Car camping
- Basecamp
- Canoe / raft
- Vegetarian
- Vegan
- Gluten free
- Dairy free
- Nut free
- One pot
- Grab and go
- Shelf stable
- Basic
Ingredients
| Russet potatoes | 2 lb | about 4 medium; they keep for weeks unrefrigerated |
|---|---|---|
| Cooking oil | 4 tbsp | avocado or coconut; both take high heat and neither needs a cooler |
| Paprika | 2 tsp | smoked if you have it |
| Garlic powder | 1 tsp | fresh cloves work, added late so they do not scorch |
| Salt | 1 tsp | |
| Black pepper | 1/2 tsp |
Method
- Dice the potatoes into half-inch cubes. Keep them close to the same size or the small ones burn before the big ones cook.
The oven version of this recipe relies on dry ambient heat to crisp the cubes. A camp stove gives you the opposite, so the method changes: cover the pan first and let the potatoes steam in their own moisture until they are cooked through, then uncover and let the pan run dry so the outsides brown. Trying to crisp raw potato in a skillet just gives you burnt edges around a hard center.
Russets are the right potato because they are starchy and dry, which is also why they travel well. No cooler needed. The oil is not optional — potato is nearly all carbohydrate, and four tablespoons is what turns a side dish into something that actually holds you until lunch. Coconut and avocado oil are both stable at pan heat and neither goes rancid in a week of warm weather.
Packing
Potatoes ride loose in a paper bag, not plastic, or they sweat and go soft. Premix the paprika, garlic powder, salt, and pepper into one small jar so seasoning is a single pour. Carry the oil in a leakproof bottle inside a zip bag.
Variations
- Add a foil packet of chopped ham or a crumbled precooked sausage in the last five minutes.
- Stir in a spoon of hot sauce or a squeeze of tomato paste at the end.
- Cook the whole batch in a foil packet on coals instead: same seasoning, 25 minutes, turn twice, cleanup is foil-packet.
https://www.cheapskatecook.com/baked-home-fries