Grandmas German Fried Taters Recipe

How to make it

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• Heat a heavy skillet over medium heat. When hot, add fat of your choice allow to come to a shimmer. (Just before smoking.)
• Add potatoes to skillet as quickly (and safely) as possible in a single layer. If you’ve cut too many to fit in the pan, make them in batches.
• Reduce heat to medium low, then walk away. Do not attempt to move the potatoes around, they’re stuck to the pan like cement at this point, and that’s exactly what you wanted to happen. Hang out, have a cup of coffee and use your ears and nose to guide you.
• When there’s nearly no sizzle left in the pan and the potatoes start smelling almost sweet, it’s time to stir it up. Use a stiff spatula and carefully dislodge the potatoes from the bottom of the skillet (if they’re sticking at all.) then walk away.
• Moving things around in the pan too often will irrevocably damage the process. Wait about 5 minutes and stir the potatoes again. Take stock of the amount of grease in the pan. If it looks dry, add another tablespoon.
• Salt the spuds profusely. Don’t worry, they’ll soak almost all of it up without a noticeable effect on taste, but now is the time we want them to start letting go of the moisture we’ve trapped inside. Wait about 5 more minutes and toss the onions into the skillet. Add pepper.
• By now it should be safe to keep them moving more often, and you’ll need to do so if you want to keep the onions from burning. Caramelized is fine, burnt isn’t.
• When the onions are cooked to your liking and the spuds are fork-tender, or it very brown tater you’re done.
• (you’ll probably want to add more salt at this point, so give ‘em a try)
• Serve with beans and cornbread