For those of you who have been following my blog, you might have come to the conclusion that I love to cook in a skillet. This wasn’t always so! When john.e and I moved in together, he came with a few cast iron skillets, and I HATED them! They were heavy and seemed way too daunting in terms of maintenance and seasoning. And, I tend to cook everything on high heat, so I would burn just about everything I tried to cook. Since then, I’ve greatly changed my opinion on cast iron skillets. I’ve come to love cooking in them, and I’ve learned to keep the heat at a lower setting – something I should have been doing all along anyway!
Cast iron skillets offer a few benefits to the home cook. First of all, these skillets are great for those recipes where the food first needs to be seared and then placed in the oven. A cast iron skillet can easily transition from the stove top to the oven. These skillets are sturdy and long lasting. Unlike Teflon-coated pans, you cannot damage a cast iron skillet by using metal utensils, therefore, replacing a cast iron skillet becomes less likely.
My personal favourite benefit is that food cooks beautifully in a cast iron pan! Browning, caramelizing, sautéing, searing, etc., is all better in a cast iron pan.
That’s how these skillet roasted potatoes came to be.
I live in an apartment very close to the downtown core of Toronto. In the summer months, I still want to eat good food, but prefer not to heat up my oven. Roasting potatoes in the oven requires a high temperature of at least 400 degrees, and it will take at least 45 minutes. That’s a lot of heat for my apartment-sized kitchen in the middle of July and August! Roasting stove-top, however, eliminates the extra heat, and as an added bonus, makes for a better tasting vegetable!
The process could not be simpler!
Skillet Roasted Potatoes
Pin Recipe Save Recipe Print RecipeIngredients
- 3 pounds yellow-fleshed baby potatoes, washed and cut into quarters
- 2 tablespoons unsalted butter
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper
- 1/2 teaspoon paprika
- 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1/2 teaspoon onion powder
- green onions or parsley for garnish
Instructions
- On medium heat, melt the butter and a little olive oil in the skillet.
- Add the salt and pepper, and swirl the pan around to mix the salt and pepper into the melted butter.
- Carefully place the potatoes into the skillet and move them around, coating each piece in the butter.
- Allow the potatoes to sit for a while. Don't move them around the pan too much. Let the heat from the skillet brown the potatoes on each surface. Stir every 5 minutes or so.
- After the potatoes have all turned a deep golden colour, add the paprika, garlic powder, and onion powder. Toss to coat.
- Continue to brown the potatoes for a few minutes more before serving.
- And, that's it! Top with green onions or parsley and serve.
Notes
Dinner, then Dessert says
I LOVE cooking in a skillet. My trusty cast iron skillet is a permanent fixture on my stovetop because I use it almost daily 🙂
byronethomas@gmail.com says
Same here, Sabrina. I can’t believe I used to hate cooking in a skillet so much; now I love it!
Katalina @ Peas and Peonies says
Brian these potatoes look amazing, so golden and not crumbly, they look perfect. I love roasted potatoes and sometimes make a big pan for dinner, its the ultimate comfort food!
byronethomas@gmail.com says
Thanks, Katalina. They are quite good and very versatile – sometimes, I change up the seasonings to make a Cajun version or even a breakfast version.
Muriel says
These are so good with caramelized sweet Vidallia onions. I cheat. I use bacon drippings for a richer taste, and add crushed garlic. Not much, but enough to make it interesting.
byronethomas@gmail.com says
Thank you, Muriel. You’ve certainly made these potatoes extra special. Sounds great!
Valentina Flores says
These came out DELICIOUS! I’m going to be making these constantly now!
Monica says
Thanks so much for this! It was delicious with pork chops!