I Was Making Spaghetti And I Woke Up Mid-cooking And Set An Alarm For When The Pasta Was Done.

[already so afraid] let me add caffeine to this, actually

oh butter FUCKS. this is so groovy!!

Otik’s Skillet-Fried Spiced Potatoes

[...] the recipe featured below is widely thought to be the closest that one can come to the feeling of sitting atop the famed vallenwood tree tavern with one of his homebrewed dark ales in hand. - Heroes’ Feast, p. 20

Hashbrowns are one of my all-time favourite breakfast side dishes but usually have a large time component or an uninteresting flavour. After trying numerous recipes, I was beginning to wonder if I would ever find one that I would enjoy. Then came Otik's Skillet-Fried Spiced Potatoes! The first time making these for my house, we were all blown away by how great they were! 

Seasoned to perfection with a kick of spice, these skillet fried potatoes have become a staple at our Saturday morning breakfast table. They’re amazing whether eaten the day-of or heated up later. Try the ultimate breakfast trio and eat them with the Yawning Portal Buttermilk Biscuits (p. 31) and the Feywild Eggs (p. 58).

Want to eat them but aren’t a morning person? No problem! These fried potatoes also make an amazing base for a fun lunch or dinner meal. Just add some sausage and chopped green pepper and voilà!

See below for my notes on the results and for some helpful tips and tricks when making this yourself! Get Heroes’ Feast here: https://dnd.wizards.com/heroes-feast

Prep Time: ~15 mins        Cook Time: ~40 mins        Overall: ~55 mins

For the ingredients:

2 tablespoons neutral-tasting oil

1 large yellow onion

1 tsp. kosher salt ( ½ tsp. for onions, ½ for spicing)

1.5 lbs. Yukon gold potatoes, scrubbed or peeled, cut into ¾-inch pieces

1 tbsp. salted butter

Freshly ground black pepper to taste

1 tsp. sweet paprika

1 tsp. cayenne*

½ tsp. garlic powder

2 tbsp. minced fresh chives

*See ingredients notes

I use the following conversions in my cooking:

1 lb. potatoes = 500 g

½ tsp. garlic powder = 1.5 g

1 tsp. cayenne pepper = 1.8 g

1 tsp. sweet paprika = 2 g

½ tsp. kosher salt = 3 g

Although they may seem inconsequential, I would consider the chives a necessity with this recipe. The fried potatoes are amazing on their own but pairing them with the chives really makes them shine.

I have made these fried potatoes both with and without the onion due to differing tastes in my house. I would suggest using a little more garlic powder than what’s called for if leaving out the onion.

TIP: To save yourself time in the morning, cut up the onion and the potatoes the night before. Keep fresh by submerging the cubed potatoes in cold water and covering the onions in cling wrap and storing them in the fridge.

NOTE:  I would 100% recommend using a non-stick skillet for this recipe if you have access to one. I tried making these in a stainless steel pan with the recommended amount of oil: the skins stuck to the bottom instantly and the pan was a nightmare to clean.

NOTE: I would caution the amount of cayenne pepper called for in this recipe. Even for the spice junkies in my house, 1 tsp. was A LOT of cayenne pepper. I would recommend starting with a little bit less than ¼ tsp. (~0.4 g) and increase it from there each time you make them.

Above is what my onions looked like after I fried them up. I did my best to achieve the “browning with brown edges”. 

Don’t skip the salt on this step, it helps the onions brown!

NOTE: With a properly heated pan, I’ve found that 4 minutes on medium-high and 4 minutes on medium were too generous for time. Once you’ve gotten the oil shimmering, they’ll need only 3 minutes on each.

Above are the potatoes after they were softened in the microwave. 

Heroes’ Feast mentions this, but do make sure to drain any water the potatoes have released. Skipping this will mess with the development of the skins and cooking time.

TIP: To save time, put the potatoes in the microwave when you start cooking the onion.

Above is the progression of what the potatoes looked like as they were cooking. 

Pic 1: Potatoes when just put into the pan

Pic 2: First flip after 6 minutes

Pic 3: Second flip after 6 minutes

Pic 4: Third flip after 4 minutes

Not shown: I flipped them once more after 4 minutes right before stirring in the spices and onion

Altogether, the potatoes were fried for 20 minutes.

TIP: If you don’t only have unsalted butter to combine with the oil, add a small pinch of kosher salt to the pan.

NOTE: Remember to never overcrowd the pan when cooking! However, if you find that you have, it’s fixable. Simply make sure that you’re always moving the potatoes on the outside edges in when you flip them and cook the potatoes for as long as it takes for the biggest pieces to have softened.

Above is what the potatoes looked like after stirring in the spices and the onion.

TIP: To keep the onions from cooking more when you return them to the pan, mix in the spices first then take the pan off the heat for ~30-45 seconds before adding them in. They’ll still cook a little, but there’s less risk of them burning.

Overall, I would give this recipe a 5/5. Like the Yawning Portal Buttermilk Biscuits, they’ve quickly become a weekend brunch staple in our house!

Additionally, these go great with a homemade (or store-bought!) hollandaise sauce or when eaten as a side for the Feywild Eggs. The richness and flavours combine to create an amazing taste that’s sure to liven up your morning!

For best freshness results, store in a sealed container in the fridge. Keeps for up to 4 days.

NOTE: Consensus in our house: Those who enjoy onion give them a 5/5 with onion and a 4/5 without. For those who don’t, they’re a 5/5 without onion. So, overall, you really can’t lose! Just remember to adjust the spices (especially the cayenne pepper!!) if you’re making a smaller side batch for someone who doesn’t like onions. Learned that the hard way...

honestly saying “oh it comes with lore” about anything that has text explaining the use and or contents is one of the funniest th

Putting powdered sugar on the post below

2021 Tumblr Year In Review

For auld lang syne, my dear For auld lang syne We'll tak a cup o' kindness yet For auld lang syne

- Auld Lang Syne, Dougie MacLean

First year actively making content on the internet and it’s been a lot of fun so far! I’ve definitely learned a lot and would like to think I’ve improved since I started haha

According to Tumblr, my two most popular tags were #homecooking and #heroes’ feast!

As for posts, my top five are:

The Ultimate Sausage Pasta

Hand Pies (including small, snackable pies!) from Heroes’ Feast

Baked Feta Wrap

Hot Cocoa Broth from Heroes’ Feast

Soul Cakes and Halloween Costumes

The “slogan” I chose for 2022 is: Gaslight, Gatekeep, Girlboss