CrustyCrab
Recipes

AmericanPotatoes

Crispy Breakfast Potatoes

Yukon golds parboiled in alkaline water, roughed up into a starchy paste and roasted hot into a thick, craggy crust with a creamy middle.

Calories
290kcal
Protein
5g
Carbs
39g
Fat
14g
Total, 15 min active
1 hr
Servings
4

Nutrition is per serving.

Ingredients

  • 2 lb Yukon gold potatoes, in ¾ in dice, peel on or off
  • 2 qt water
  • 2 tbsp kosher salt, for the water
  • ½ tsp baking soda
  • 3 tbsp fat: olive oil, bacon fat or duck fat
  • 1 tsp smoked paprika
  • ½ tsp garlic powder
  • ½ tsp black pepper
  • 1 tbsp butter, to finish
  • Chives or scallions, flaky salt and hot sauce, to serve

Steps

  1. Heat the pan. Put a rimmed sheet pan or 12 in cast iron skillet in the oven and heat to 450°F.
  2. Parboil. Bring the water, salt and baking soda to a boil. Add the potatoes and cook until a knife slides in with slight resistance and the edges look fuzzy, 8–10 minutes.
  3. Dry. Drain and let the potatoes steam off in the colander for 2 minutes.
  4. Rough up. Return them to the pot with the fat, paprika, garlic powder and pepper and toss hard for 30 seconds, until a starchy paste coats every piece. That paste becomes the crust.
  5. Roast. Spread the potatoes on the hot pan in one layer with space between the pieces. Roast 20 minutes without touching.
  6. Flip. Release them with a thin metal spatula, turn, and roast 15–25 minutes more, until deep golden all over.
  7. Finish. Toss with the butter and chives, taste, then add flaky salt. Serve with hot sauce.

Notes

  • Why baking soda: alkaline water breaks down the potato surface, releasing starch that fries into a thick crust. Don’t use more than ½ tsp or it tastes soapy.
  • Make ahead: parboil the night before, spread on a tray and chill uncovered. The surface dries and crisps even harder. Roast straight from the fridge, adding about 5 minutes.
  • Onions and peppers burn at this heat over this long; sauté them separately and fold in at the end, or add them at the flip.
  • Russets give a crunchier shell but break up more; cut them 1 in and pull them from the water a minute early.
  • Don’t crowd the pan: touching pieces steam. Use two pans for a double batch.
  • At high altitude (around 5,000 ft): water boils near 202°F, so the parboil takes 10–12 minutes. Go by the knife test, not the clock.