Well cooked home fries are one of my favorite foods. I always look for them on a menu when I’m out to eat(clearly I only choose very classy places that would serve home fries at 6pm); they beat plain old french fries any day.

Years of cooking these spuds have taught me that home fries are all about two things: Seasoning and cooking time. Salt, herbs, and onions all make for a really taste treat once the flavors are absorbed into the home fries. You also can’t rush perfection. The best way to get a golden, crispy outside and a soft starchy inside is to cook these low and slow, giving each side a chance to sizzle on the bottom of the pan.

You’ll definitely want to double or even triple the recipe if you’re cooking for a crowd because these’ll fly off the plate. Season them to taste as always; you can add any number of herbs and spices to make them spicy, garlicky, or even slightly sweet.

How To Make Perfect Home Fries

Prep time:  10 minutes

Cook time: 15 minutes

Ingredients:

• 2 par-cooked medium Russet potatoes*
• 2 Tablespoons chopped onion
• 3 Tablespoons olive oil, divided
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• Couple sprigs of rosemary
• 1/4 teaspoon pepper

*I usually bake mine for 40 minutes, let them cool, and then keep them in the refrigerator to have on hand whenever I want to make these. You can also par-cook them in the microwave or by boiling them as long as they’re firm enough to slice when done.

Method:

1. Heat 1 Tablespoon of oil in a frying pan. Add in the onions and sauté them until they become translucent.
2. Dice the potatoes into small bites, about 1/2-inch squares. Leave the skins on for a rustic look and texture.
3. Add the potatoes into the pan with the onions along with the remaining 2 Tablespoons of oil and salt.
4. Cook on medium heat, tossing the pan every couple of minutes to flip the potatoes. Cook for 10-15 minutes until most of the sides look browned and crispy and the oil has been soaked up.
5. Finish by seasoning with pepper.
6. Serve hot.

You could call this a light bulb moment recipe.

I really love starchy vegetables almost as much as I love chocolate, and that says a lot. They’re warm and comforting and everything you could want on a plate.

The squash has been excellent at the farmers’ market this Fall; I’ve been roasting it so much, I’ve been thinking of any which way to eat it otherwise.

And that’s when it hit me: Butternut squash home fries.

I started by roasting the squash to get it tender, and finishing it off in some fat and seasoning over a low burner. It was perfectly tender with a bit of a crust. The secret to any good home fries is time, so I left plenty for the pan-frying.

Butternut Squash Home Fries

Ingredients for 4 servings:

• 1 butternut squash, peeled and diced
• 1 small yellow onion, diced
• 1/4 cup butter, separated
• 3/4 teaspoon sea salt
• 1/4 teaspoon black pepper
• 1 sprig of rosemary

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees and roast the butternut squash for 45 minutes or until tender before starting. Warm a pan over medium heat and add 2 tablespoons of butter and the diced onion. Once the pan has come to temperature, add in the squash. Toss every couple of minutes for 10 minutes. After 10 minutes, add the salt, pepper, rosemary, and remaining butter and continue to toss for 10 more minutes or until the moisture is gone and the home fries have begun to char.

Usually you want to treat food delicately and keep it tender and fresh—not so with home fries. The best home fries I’ve had at restaurants look like they’ve been battered and beat and have often been cooking for near an hour. That’s how they develop such rich flavors that intermingle.

Going back to “just” roasted squash is going to be hard.