My husband is from New York and way back when, way, way back, I’m talking, for about five years, he drove a bread truck to many of the doughnut and coffee shops around Brooklyn, Queens, New York City, etc., delivering their daily bread.
The shop owners always fed him, giving him egg sandwiches to go and trying to get him to sit for breakfast and kibbitz (chat). But, he was on a schedule and too busy to stop, even for a moment, so they would send him away with the egg sandwich or other type of sandwich.
Once in a big while, he was able to sit and have a plate of home fries and eggs. He remember the piles of potatoes on the grill and the chefs (short order cooks, I would imagine) running around dicing, chopping and cooking and dicing and cooking, as the breakfast crowd came flooding in trying to grab a bite before starting their busy day.
We love to relax for a few hours every Sunday morning, first with our Cuban Coffee, then with a pot of American coffee and then we make a nice breakfast together. He makes the home fries and I make the rest. We have a system. It works.
We can do it in silence, like a couple of robots. 🙂 It’s really quite funny. We started this routine while we were traveling/living in our RV a few years ago.
I like to leave the skin on the potatoes, but if you don’t like it, just peel them and dice. It is important to rinse the diced potatoes in water until the water runs clear, to remove the excess starch.
I always use my favorite Cast Iron Skillet for the potatoes and you can see how slick it is. Totally non stick. It is very important to heat the skillet first before adding the fat. It makes the skillet not stick.
We like to use bacon grease, that we store in a Grease Strainer, or if we are cooking bacon at the same time, we just pour a little into the skillet. If you don’t have Bacon Grease, Coconut Oil is wonderful to use. Yum, it makes a big difference to use the bacon grease and/or coconut oil. After the potatoes are added, gently push them around every so often for about 5 minutes.
We like a lot of onions in our home fries, so adjust the amount to your preference. They go into the skillet at about the 5 minute mark, so you have time to chop the onions while you are cooking the potatoes.
Using a spatula, gently flip the potatoes every so often so that all sides will brown. My favorite spatula is the LamsonSharp Chef’s Slotted Turner. They come in left handed and right handed versions and we have both, since my husband is a lefty and I am a righty.
See how the edges of the potatoes are getting some color? That is when you want to toss in the onions.
Just dump them on top of the potatoes and gently flip them over and around to incorporate with the potatoes. Turn the heat down to medium-low. Cook them at medium-low for about 15 minutes.
When the potatoes and onions are nice and brown, add the spices and combine. Cook for about another 5 minutes, until the onions begin to slightly caramelize and crisp.
If you make a double batch, you can turn them into another breakfast and smash them all together and pan fry for a delicious potato pancake, not to be confused with a Latke!
More Breakfast Recipes You Will Love.
- Breakfast Soft Yolk Egg Burrito
- Pressure Cooker Orange Cranberry French Toast {Bread Pudding}
- Pressure Cooker Blueberries Cream Steel Cut Oats {Instant Pot}
- Southern Style Old Fashion Buttermilk Biscuits
Kitchen Equipment and Essentials
- J.A. Henckels Classic 7-inch Hollow Edge Santoku Knife
- Amco Advanced Performance 18/10 Stainless Steel Measuring Spoons
- LamsonSharp Chef’s Slotted Turner – I totally love this spatula!
- Alton Brown Salt Box
- Bellemain Porcelain Ramekins
- 3.5 Quart Stainless Steel Mixing Bowl
- Lodge 10.25″ Cast Iron Skillet
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Here is the handy printable recipe:
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New York Style Coffee Shop Home Fries (Greasy Spoon Fried Potatoes)
New York Style Coffee Shop Home Fries (Greasy Spoon Fried Potatoes)
Print Pin Save RateIngredients
- 3 large Potatoes or 6 small, diced in ½ inch squares
- 2-3 Tablespoons Bacon Grease or Coconut Oil
- 1 Yellow/Brown Onion diced
- 1 medium Green/Red Pepper diced (optional)
- 2 teaspoons Sea Salt
- 1 teaspoon Paprika
- 1 teaspoon Garlic Powder
- 1 teaspoon Granulated Onion Powder
Instructions
- Dice potatoes and rinse under running water until water runs clear.
- Heat a cast iron skillet over medium-high heat. When hot, add the bacon grease.
- Dry potatoes and add to skillet. Cook for 5 minutes, or until the edges are starting to brown.
- Add diced onions (and peppers, if using) and cook for approximately 15 minutes.
- Add in all spices and gently combine. Continue cooking another 5 minutes until desired texture is achieved.
Notes
Nutrition
PIN this New York Style Coffee Shop Home Fries (Greasy Spoon Fried Potatoes)!
New York Style Coffee Shop Home Fries (Greasy Spoon Fried Potatoes)
If you let them sit in hot water with some vinegar, then rinse, can get a crustier exterior faster