Wow! this topic has hit a culinary nerve given the number of replys. I also par-boil to speed up the process for pan fried spuds. Tommy's method of tossing the spuds with olive oil, salt, pepper and roasting in the oven works very well, especially for large quantities. I'll also add whole unpeeled gloves of garlic, and sometimes paprika to add color/flavor. For something really excellent, slice up cold, leftover baked potatoes and pan fry. Because they've already been cooked they brown quickly and the flavor is very concentrated.
