The late, great Pierre Franey—author of The 60-Minute Gourmet showed me how to make these twenty years ago (of course he used butter), and I have been making them weekly ever since.

　　

Ingredients

makes 4 servings

　　2 pounds waxy red or white potatoes, peeled and cut into 1/2- to 1-inch cubes

　　Salt and freshly ground black pepper

　　1/4 cup olive oil, more or less

　　1 teaspoon minced garlic

　　

Step 1

Bring the potatoes to a boil in salted water to cover, then lower the heat to simmer until nearly tender, 10 to 15 minutes. Drain well.

　　

Step 2

Heat the oil over medium-high heat in a 12-inch nonstick skillet for 3 or 4 minutes. You can use more oil for crisper potatoes or less oil to cut the fat. (You can also use butter or a combination if you prefer.) Add the potatoes along with a healthy sprinkling of salt and pepper and cook, tossing and stirring from time to time (not constantly), until they are nicely browned all over, 10 to 20 minutes.

　　

Step 3

Add the garlic and continue to cook for 5 minutes more, stirring frequently. Taste and adjust the seasoning if necessary, then serve.

　　From Mark Bittman's Quick and Easy Recipes From the New York Times by Mark Bittman Copyright (c) 2007 by Mark Bittman Published by Broadway Books.Mark Bittman is the author of the blockbuster Best Recipes in the World (Broadway, 2005) and the classic bestseller How to Cook Everything, which has sold more than one million copies. He is also the coauthor, with Jean-Georges Vongerichten, of Simple to Spectacular and Jean-Georges: Cooking at Home with a Four-Star Chef. Mr. Bittman is a prolific writer, makes frequent appearances on radio and television, and is the host of The Best Recipes in the World, a 13-part series on public television. He lives in New York and Connecticut.