NoBozo,
I make home fries quite often. I have tried the boiling method from time to time but never found it very good. When I put the water log potatoes into the hot oil it takes a long time to boil off the water.
I prefer the bacon method mentioned earlier. I sometimes add an additional cup or two of canola oil to the bacon. The key is temperature temperature and temperature. You want to make sure the oil is hot enough that the potatoes sizzle when you add. Too cold and the oil will soak into the potato. Too hot and you will be wearing the oil.
Cutting the potatos to a fairly uniform size helps them cook more consistently.
Adding the potato is an important temperature event as well. As you add them, they cool the oil. If the potatoes are frozen or cold it is even more critical. Cooking in only the grease from a pound of bacon makes this even more important.
Turn the heat up temporarily and add the potatoes at a speed that keeps them boiling the water in the potato. The difference in cooking time from the staggered addition does not seem to be a problem.
I used to wait to add the onion for fear of burning. It might depend on the onion but as RG now needs her onions completely cooked for allergy reasons, I add the onion with the potato at the beginning and they seem do do just fine.
Draining: We use a brown paper bag from the grocery with a paper towel on top. Later that night the bag gets used to start the camp fire and it smells really good.
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