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I never start with raw potatoes (it's hard to tell if you do from your post) but always with leftover baked or boiled, but the potato must be firm-ish. Also, I use oil, not butter (if you want the flavor, you can always melt a pat on top...butter burns too easily). I DO love onion with mine -- yellow or white globe, scallions, shallots, anything to get that sweet flavor. Saute till the onion goes soft and colored. Scrape to the side of whatever skillet you have, dump in potatoes, salt and pepper, a shake of herbes de provence, and let it cook till the bottom is crusty and brown. Stir/flip to brown the other side/sides. Serve (with that butter pat on top) and eat -- all of it -- yourself. Do not share!!

I like 'em however my dad cooks them! In a cast iron skillet usually, seasoned with Jane's Krazy Mixed-Up Salt, and pepper. And.... a side of ketchup! I know it's not fancy, but that's how I was raised eating them! And it's BEST if they are served with country ham cooked in a skillet as well!

Two words: duck fat.

And some salt. =)

I just finished making some for our breakfast.

Lately I've been using a baking potato, raw, peeled and cut into bite-sized cubes.

I cook some diced onion in a bit of Smart Balance oil and then add the potato and garlic. I stir it once in a while with a spatula and keep a cover on it until the potatoes are almost done. Then remove the lid only for the last few minutes. When the potatoes are cooked and NOT mushy, I add seasonings: salt, pepper, Emeril's and extra onion and garlic powder.

I put them in a bowl with a bit of shredded cheese mixed in and cover them until the rest of the breakfast is ready. By the time we're ready to eat, the cheese is perfectly melted.

Sometimes I use red or white potatoes and even a cubed sweet potato turns out pretty tasty when cooked this way (it just takes longer).

One snowy day a few years ago some friends and I spent an entire afternoon drinking Guinness and trying to figure out how to make perfect home fries. Here's what I do:

Peel red potatoes, dice, rinse with cold water.
Cover with cold water, add salt, bring to boil and boil for 2 minutes or until just fork tender. They shouldn't be too cooked
Drain, dry with paper towel and let sit on drying rack. I think this is key- they need to be dry. You can definitely do this ahead.
Heat a cast iron skillet over medium high heat, add some oil and let them potatoes sit for like 5 minutes or until first side is really browned. Move them only as needed. Let them sit for a while on each side to get brown.
At the end, off heat, I add some Penzey's 4S salt and chili powder. Keep them in the pan until serving so they stay crisp.

I don't normally cook potatos but those look really good. Now I wish I had purchased some yesterday. I might have to fix that oversight today.

even better than bacon fat is duck fat.

With onions and peppers, and then I usually also throw in zucchini, yellow squash and green beans. I'm sure that takes them out of the "home fries" category and into something like vegetable hash, but they are so delicious!

I'm a vegetarian, so no duck fat or bacon for me, but my friends love both in their home fries.

Potatoes sliced into little disks with lots of burnt, crunchy pieces mixed with some onions and a generous dose of Pepper Plant sauce.