Homefried Potatoes

Source: Another rough recipe of my own.

My husband and I used to love to find the restaurant in town that had the best homefries. We both like homefries with fresh sliced potatoes (not the frozen, shredded kind) and onions. We did find a place that did them really well, a little hole in the wall called Hack's in Bethlehem, PA. Hack's was run by an older gentleman and usually only had a couple of employees helping at a time. The restaurant itself could maybe sit 20-30 and there was usually a line out the door, waiting to get in. Or, if it was a nice day, you could sit at one of the few tables outside. This place was nothing fancy, just your typical greasy spoon. When we would take our friend there, they would walk in and right away they were quite skeptical. Then they would see all the oil used on the grill and they would cringe. Then they'd take a bite of their food and ask to come back the next day!

DH and I decided to try to make our own and we turned it into a competition to see who could make the best homefried potatoes. We tried all kinds of crazy things, including herbs, worcestershire sauce and even hot sauce. It soon became abundantly clear to us that this is not one of those dishes that you can fancy up. The simpler, the better.

Anyway, these potatoes are not as good as Hack's, mostly because I can't bring myself to use as much butter and oil as would be necessary to duplicate those Lyonnaise potatoes he cooked so well.

I use a microwave to get the potatoes tender before beginning to cook, otherwise it takes a very, very long time for the potatoes to get soft and tender.

2 medium potatoes
2 tablespoons of butter
2 tablespoons of canola oil (I mix in canola oil to decrease the amount of saturated fat)
1/2 of a medium onion, coarsely chopped
salt and pepper to taste

Wash the potatoes well and pierce several times with a fork. Microwave for approximately 4-5 minutes or until the potatoes are just beginning to get tender. (You want the potatoes to be tender, but still quite firm so that they are easier to slice.) Thinly slice the potatoes and set aside.

Set a large saucepan over medium heat and add oil and butter. Add onion, sauteeing until it begins to soften. Add potatoes and stir to coat with butter and oil. Let potatoes sit until they begin to brown on the bottom. Keep flipping the potatoes to get them as browned as you like them (We like them quite brown and crispy).