Mom’s Fried Potatoes

I remember many meals that consisted of just these.  Or we would have a “poor man’s supper” with fried potatoes, beans, cornbread, and hot dogs.

My mom herself got the “poor man’s supper” from an old friend of hers.  They had a big family, and they went through some hard times.  But they managed to keep well fed with potatoes, beans and cornbread.  Hot dogs were the cheapest meat, so they’d have some of them sometimes with it, too.  They made their own checkerboard (playing w/two different colors of beans) and they entertained themselves with cards and boardgames.  Their snacks were big bowls of popcorn.  Mom always said they were pretty poor, but always really happy.

Potatoes
Canola Oil
salt and pepper to taste (mom always used quite a bit of pepper)

1. Scrub the potatoes well, and cut in half crosswise (haha, the opposite of lengthwise)
2. Cut potato halves into 1/4 inch thick slices, then cut each 1/4 inch slice into fingers (they should look like short French fries)
3. Use the biggest, heaviest skillet you have, and enough oil to cover the bottom of the pan well.  This isn’t deep-frying, so don’t use too much.
4. Preheat your oil over medium heat (don’t let it smoke).  When it’s hot, add your potatoes, salt and pepper.
5. Cover your skillet and let them cook, stirring occassionally, turning the heat down if you need to, until they are soft.
6. Take off the cover and let them fry a bit longer until they are brown and turning crispy.  Adjust your heat so they don’t burn.

Serve with ketchup or mayo, according to your desire, and any of the accompaniments mentioned above.

Add-ins: These are really great with zuchhini/summer squash cut into rounds and added w/the potatoes.  She also added finely chopped onions sometimes, and with cheese over the whole thing (but that’s really overkill).

Thanks to AmandaMason for the word “crosswise”.  I couldn’t think of it.