Chop the potatoes and onions: Cut your potatoes into roughly 1-inch chunks so they cook at the same rate. Slice the onions into thick ½-inch half-moons.
Toss with butter and seasoning: Dump the potatoes and onions directly into the buttered pan. Pour the melted butter over the top, add the salt, and use your hands or a big spoon to toss it all together right there in the pan until everything is evenly coated. Spread it out as evenly as you can. Tuck the onion slices down in between the potatoes a little so they don’t sit on top and overcook first.
Bake (First round): Put the pan on the middle rack and bake uncovered for 25 minutes without stirring. Leaving them untouched helps get that good golden crust on the bottom.
Stir and finish baking: After 25 minutes, pull the pan out and stir everything around, scraping up those delicious caramelized bits from the bottom. Spread it back into a single layer and bake for another 20 to 30 minutes, stirring once or twice more. They are done when the potatoes are tender all the way through and the edges are a deep golden brown.
Season and rest: Taste and add a pinch more salt if needed before serving.
Variations,
If you like heat, a pinch of cayenne tossed in with the butter and salt works beautifully.
Dotting an extra tablespoon or two of butter over the top about ten minutes before they come out of the oven is a nice touch for a richer, more special-occasion feel.
I’ve added garlic a few times. Fresh cloves, just tossed in whole. They roast up sweet and soft and I liked it, but I keep coming back to the plain version — just the four things, no additions. There’s something to be said for not messing with a recipe that already works.
Leftovers & Reheating
If you have leftovers, they keep in the fridge for a few days. Reheat them in a skillet with a little butter to help them get crispy again. The microwave works but they will lose their crispiness and go soft.
My favorite leftover tip: Fry an egg in the same skillet and serve it right on top of the reheated potatoes. This has become a Saturday morning favorite for me.
I still make these pretty much every time I need a side dish that I know will work. There’s a comfort in that — in having a few recipes you can just rely on. The kind that don’t need improving, don’t need updating, don’t need anything but a hot oven and a little patience.
