Home fries or cottage fries are a type of basic potato dish made by pan or skillet-frying diced, chunked, wedged or sliced potatoes (sometimes unpeeled) that have been par-cooked by boiling, baking, steaming, or microwaving. It is possible to make home fries without par-cooking the potatoes, the texture will be more chewy, but the cooking time is longer and it can be harder to prevent burning the potato pieces.