Karl says I made the best Raw Fried Potatoes. I think he might be right. If Karl and I are eating potatoes, raw frying them is the way we usually pick to make them. They are excellent with a steak, pork chop or with eggs as a breakfast food.
They are simple to make but the key to making them in patience…and a good hot griddle. I have a Heritage Griddle and they are AWESOME. I was so lucky and was able to get mine at a thrift store for $10 or something crazy cheap like that.
Around here they are known as the griddle to use when making lefse, a Norwegian food.
I love that the griddles are made in a town just 30 minutes from my house. The quality is amazing.
Many people think it’s sacrilegious that I use it for anything else but lefse but, if they had my Raw Fried Potatoes, they would totally understand.
I was making a big batch on this day…likely enough for four. I start out by putting the griddle on the highest heat and letting it start to warm. I put two tablespoons of butter on the griddle to melt and then started cutting the raw peeled potatoes up into thin slices and putting them onto the griddle. I added a sliced onion.
For seasoning, I add…pepper, salt, minced garlic, onion powder, and garlic powder. Yes, both minced and garlic powder.
Make sure the potatoes are as spread out as possible.
Now, leave the potatoes completely alone. Do not stir and flip them.
In the picture below you can see I started flipping them. The bottoms of the potatoes need to be the color of the potatoes shown on the right. On the left, you can see the tops of the potatoes look like they are getting a little dehydrated and shriveling just a bit. That’s an indication to check them.
After they are all flipped, they will look a little like the photo below. Now is the time to add more butter. I took 2 Tablespoons and cut it up and distributed it around over the top of the potatoes.
At this point, DO NOT STIR OR FLIP THEM.
After at least five minutes, check the bottoms of the potatoes. You want them to be colored similar to the tops of the potatoes that you see in the photo above.
During the whole process, I only flip them once. I think that is one of the keys to them being so good. When Kalissa is here and wants to help in the kitchen I get a little overprotective of the potatoes if I’m making these as she is all about flipping and stirring and these potatoes are best with only one flip.
Check the potato bottoms. Once the bottom of the potatoes looks like the top, with that nice browning, sprinkle some shredded cheese over the top. Let it melt.
Scoop them up and serve. I LOVE them. I am sure they are in my top 20 favorite foods…probably my #1 way to eat potatoes!!
On this day we had them with Breakfast Quesadillas. You can find the recipe for them HERE.
They aren’t pretty or enticing by looking at them but trust me, they are great!! I’m always hesitant to share some of the recipes we make here as they aren’t foods that look tempting. So many other bloggers make food that looks simply amazing. Me, I’m a down-home, good old comfort food kind of cook and so much of that food isn’t beautiful…but it is yummy, and for me, that matters a whole lot more!!
My mom often made raw fried potatoes when I was growing up but I kind of forget about them. We always use just a frypan. I must say I have never made or eaten them with cheese and have never heard of anyone in our family adding cheese. Yours look very good though.
I make similar with parsley. My kids call them parsley potatoes. Yes, the trick is to not stir/flip too much.
Those look delicious to me. I just call them fried potatoes, not home fries or hash browns. I haven’t had them with cheese on top, but that does sound like a great touch. I’ll try them next time. Thanks for sharing.
My mom used to make them in a cast iron skillet. They were always a favorite of my dad. They never turned out good for me. Maybe I should try a griddle like you do.
We make raw fried potatoes but we start with grated potatoes and lots of butter (although we have been known to use bacon grease). We also add grated onion. Growing up my dad always called them cowboy potatoes. We also only flip them once during the cooking. If you flip them more they just don’t turn out as good. We never added cheese but that sure sounds good.
The potatoes look very good. I think down home simple cooking is the best, maybe that is just from my farmer’s life I had growing up (meat, potatoes, veggies). I don’t have griddle but may try in fry pan, but doubt I have the patience not to keep flipping them!
I fix them this way too! I don’t add the onion when it is just me eating them because I don’t like it, and they still turn out great! Patience is the key!
I make these in a frying pan, and we love them! I have never tried adding cheese, but it sounds like a great addition…thanks for sharing!
Just wondering, are they RAW fried potatoes and not just fried potatoes because you are not using leftover baked/boiled potatoes? It is interesting what food is called in different parts of USA
Sew Happy…YES. The potatoes are raw so raw fried potatoes. If you use leftover potatoe, then just fried potatoes (or American fried)
Hi Jo!
I make these fairly often, but have never done them from a raw state before. They are wonderful, a favorite in our house as well. You are right, its better if they aren’t flipped a lot. Good with anything you want to put them with!
Jo,
My grandma used to make them in a cast iron pan. She had arthritis and was wheelchair bound and my favorite meal that she would cook was hamburgers and pan fried potatoes. I make it for my family and they call them mama burgers and potatoes. My grandma seasoned it with pepper and her special seasoning of love….
Oh Jo, this is one of my favorite ways to do fresh potatoes too. I do mine in an iron skillet and you are so right about being good! I could eat them every day! Simple is what we do around here.
I make them on occasion I flip them a little more often as I fry them on a higher heat to get them done. To those that haven’t tried them with onions and cheese. All I can say is delicious! If you’re not super hungry this makes a good one dish meal. I usually put salsa on mine after serving it.
Does it matter what type of potato you start with? Do you have a favorite?
Roxanne, I usually use red potatoes.
I agree that the flavor of raw fried potatoes is what matters most to me as well–looks takes second place.
Jo is correct “don’t mess with the potatoes”. Let them make a nice brown crust before flipping.
We called them fresh fries and Mom used a Salad Master to cut them as for hashbrowns. Always in a fry pan with bacon grease instead of butter. Of course she put lots of onions in as well but I leave the onions out as I don’t like onions. That’s what I’m making for lunch today as I have potatoes that need to be used and I fried bacon yesterday and I love bacon bits in with them. YUM!!! I am also and Iowa girl and grew up west of you about an hour’s drive.
I grew up eating these and make these often. I use bacon fat instead of butter and fry them in my big cast iron pan. I can’t imagine what a mess I’d make flipping them on a lefsa griddle, I make enough of a mess using a pan! One thing I do differently than my mom and grandma did is to cover the pan at the beginning to steam the potatoes a bit. Once they start to brown, the cover comes off.
I thought of you the other day: I went to the Nordic Ware factory store and they had your griddle for sale there! They had a couple of other lefse making items as well. I noticed on the box of the Heritage Griddle made in Cresco, IA and I thought, “hmmm, I think that is near Jo.” I talk as if you are a friend, and I consider you a friend I just haven’t met in person, yet.
ColleenM. You are so sweet. Cresco is a half hour from me to the north.
I had never heard of raw fried potatoes. Mom always started with raw potaoes as there were never any leftovers in a hungry family of six. My husband prefers them a little crunchy but I liked the well done.
I live in Delaware and grew up in Maryland these are called home fries. My husband is the cook he makes them in an iron skillet on top of stove but sometime in the oven. We may have to try them with cheese, I’ve never had that way.