How to Make Fried Potatoes

Home fries. Cottage fries. Whatever you call them the meaning is the same for all of us - comfort food at its simplest. This recipe works because of one easy extra step - soaking the potatoes in water to remove the starch makes them extra crispy and delicious.

Ingredients

You really only need potatoes, salt, and oil for a delicious batch of fried potatoes. Everything else is just extra deliciousness.

• Potatoes do make a difference. The best kind for frying are Yukon Gold or Russets as far as I'm concerned. If you use Russets, though, you definitely want to soak them in water before frying.
• Onions give a lot of flavor to this recipe. I usually use yellow onions but any kind you like are fine.
• Fresh garlic is definitely optional and a little goes a long way.
• Bell pepper adds color and flavor. I like to use a few different colors when possible.
• Poblano, or jalapeno peppers add a little heat and a southwestern flavor I can't resist. Omit them if you want.
• Salt to taste while you are cooking or the potatoes will be bland.
• Pepper to taste - I like the coarse ground black pepper for this recipe.
• Peanut oil or any light vegetable oil is necessary for the crispy crust you're looking for.
• Butter adds flavor but if you tried to fry in just butter at a high heat you'd have a smoky kitchen.

Instructions

Here's an overview of the step by step process for making crispy fried potatoes... Perfect. Every. Single. Time.

1. Peel and slice (or cube) potatoes.
2. Let soak in ice water.
3. Drain well and pat dry.
4. Heat the oil in a skillet on high heat until it’s shimmering and almost smoking. Watch it carefully or you'll have a fire!
5. Add the potatoes and let fry until they start to get golden  on the bottom. 
6. Cover the pan and reduce heat to medium. Allow to steam for about 2 to 3 minutes.
7. Remove cover and turn the heat back up to medium high. Flip the potatoes.
8. Fry for a minute or two, or until the bottom layer begins to get golden.
9. Dump the pan into a colander over the sink to remove excess oil and moisture.
10. Blot with a paper towel and return them to the pan on medium heat.
11. Add the onion and peppers plus any seasonings you’d like.
12. Fry, stirring occasionally, until tender and done. Do not cover at this stage of frying because they will get soggy!
13. Add the butter at the very end of cooking.

Tips

It seems like people from my parents generation were just born knowing how to make fried potatoes and other things like them. Here are their secrets!

• Slice or cube the potatoes making sure they're the same size so that they all cook evenly. They shouldn’t be too thick or too thin — about 1/8 inch is right.
• Slice them into salted ice water and let them soak  for five minutes or so. Drain, rinse and pat dry before frying. Do not try to fry them when they are wet.
• Use peanut oil unless someone has an allergy. It is the best oil I have found for frying.
• The amount of oil needed may vary from one time to the next. Use enough to keep them from sticking.
• Fry them in a cast iron skillet if you have one – try not to use a nonstick. The coating hampers the frying process because it doesn’t get hot enough.
• Let the oil get really hot before adding potatoes. It won’t smoke but it will ripple in the pan.
• Add the potatoes in a single layer.
• Don’t overcrowd the skillet.
• You can put a cover on the skillet to help them cook for the first bit but take it off for the last part of cooking or your dish will be soggy.
• If this still isn't the fried potato recipe that you’ve been looking for try this - Boil the potatoes until almost done the night before. Drain and refrigerate. Next day pat them dry and fry.

FAQs

Here are the questions I am most frequently asked about this recipe.

How long do you pan fry potatoes?

Cook without moving them around until they begin to brown around the edges...that will take about 10 minutes. Then maybe  5 more minutes on the other side.

What's the best cooking oil?

You need a cooking oil with a high smoking point - I prefer peanut oil but if you have allergy concerns any light vegetable oil is fine.

Can you use butter instead of oil?

You can but you won't be able to use high heat. If you're set on using butter I'd recommend using cold, boiled potatoes that have been patted dry. Slice them and cook in butter until golden brown.

Why do you soak the potatoes before frying?

Soaking in cold water helps to remove excess starch. This allows them to fry up crispier, without burning or sticking.

Actually, if you use a low starch variety like Yukon Gold you don't have to soak them.

How do you keep fried potatoes from sticking?

The secret is removing the starch AND using a light oil and high heat.

Why aren't my potatoes crispy?

If your pan fries are soggy rather than crispy, or raw rather than tender, or even burnt rather than golden brown you are probably doing (or not doing) one of the  following:

• You’re using the wrong oil
• You’re using very starchy potatoes and not soaking to remove some of the starch
• You’re putting them in the pan wet
• You are overcrowding the pan and they are steaming
• You are leaving to cover on the pan too long

When all else fails check your skillet. A cast iron skillet is definitely THE BEST pan for fried foods.

Fried Potato Variations

I love this easy side dish because there are so many possible variations. You can even make it into a main course by adding cooked sliced sausage or other meat.

Here are some of my favorite things to add into fried potatoes.

• Onions
• Bell pepper
• Jalapeno
• Sliced smoked sausage
• Bacon
• Cubed leftover ham
• Cooked ground beef
• Cooked taco meat
• BBQ
• Cheese
• Onion powder and/or garlic powder to add even more flavor

You can also cut the potatoes any way you like -wedges, slices, or cubes!

Related recipes

Side dishes make the meal, don't you think? Can you imagine steak without corn on the cob or a giant, buttery baked potato? What about lasagna without a crispy salad or BBQ without cole slaw?

I have some favorites here on Restless Chipotle that I use over and over again. My family loves them and I think yours will, too!

• Oven Roasted Sweet Potatoes are spicy and crispy on the outside and sweet and tender on the inside. Perfect with roasted chicken!
• Mexican Cornbread Casserole is creamy, carby, comfort food that's hard to explain but once you've tried it you'll make it often.
• Homemade Tater Tots can be varied in so many ways! They're easy, too.

And these Rosemary Lemon Roasted Potatoes from Bowl Me Over sound perfect to go alongside that Sunday roast!

Give my mom's perfect fried potatoes recipe a try and see if they aren't a big bite of home.

What’s new? Check out my Restless Chipotle & Co. Store on Amazon where you'll find all kinds of nostalgic goodness!  Thanks so much for being a part of Restless Chipotle!

If you click on the number of servings in the recipe card you can adjust the measurements up or down for the exact number of servings you need. Don't forget that you can click on "add to collection" to save it to your own, private recipe box!

If you love this recipe please give it 5 stars! ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

📋Recipe

4.51 from 61 votes

Crispy Fried Potatoes

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Perfectly fried potatoes, slightly charred with a crispy golden crust on the outside and meltingly tender and buttery on the inside - just the thought makes mouths water and tummies rumble! Today I’m sharing my tips for the best home fries you ever put in your mouth! Difficulty level 3 out of 10.

Course Side Dish

Cuisine Southern

Prep Time: 15 minutes

Cook Time: 15 minutes

Soaking Time: 10 minutes

Total Time: 40 minutes

Servings:6

Calories:265

Author:Marye Audet-White

As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases.

Equipment Needed

• Iron Skillet

Ingredients

1x2x3x

• 6 - 8 large potatoes, peeled (or not) and sliced about 1/4-inch thick
• 1 large onion, optional
• 1 clove garlic, optional
• 1 pepper optional, green, red, poblano, jalapeno, all of them - you decide
• Salt to taste
• Pepper to taste
• 1/4 cup Peanut Oil, light vegetable oil will work if there are allergy issues
• 2 tablespoons unsalted butter

Instructions

• Peel and slice (or cube) potatoes.
• Let soak for 5-10 minutes in ice water.
• Drain well and pat dry - make sure they are VERY dry!
• Heat 1/4 cup peanut oil in a skillet on high heat until it's shimmering and almost smoking.
• Add potatoes and let fry for about 2 minutes or until they start to get golden  on the bottom. 
• Cover the pan and reduce heat to medium. Allow to steam for about 2 to 3 minutes.
• Remove cover and turn the heat back up to medium high. Flip the potatoes. Fry for a minute or two, or until the bottom layer begins to get golden.
• Dump the pan of potatoes into a colander over the sink to remove excess oil and moisture. Blot with a paper towel and return them to the pan on medium heat.
• Add the onion and peppers plus any seasonings you'd like on your potatoes.
• Fry, stirring occasionally, until potatoes are tender and done. Do not cover at this stage of frying because they will get soggy!
• Add the butter at the very end of cooking.
• Taste for seasoning and serve hot with plenty of cracked pepper.

Notes

• Slice or cube potatoes the same size so that they all cook evenly. They shouldn’t be too thick or too thin — about 1/8 inch is right.
• Slice them into salted ice water and let them soak  for five minutes or so. Drain, rinse and pat dry before frying. Do not try to fry them when they are wet.
• Use peanut oil unless someone has an allergy. It is the best oil I have found for frying.
• The amount of oil needed may vary from one time to the next. Use enough to keep them from sticking.
• Fry potatoes in an iron skillet if you have one – try not to fry them in nonstick. The nonstick coating hampers the frying process because it doesn’t get hot enough.
• Let the oil get really hot before adding potatoes. It won’t smoke but it will ripple in the pan.
• Don’t overcrowd the skillet.
• You can put a cover on the skillet to help them cook for the first bit but take it off for the last part of cooking or your potatoes will be soggy.
• If these potatoes still aren’t the recipe that you’ve been looking for try this. Boil the potatoes until almost done the night before. Drain and refrigerate. Next day pat them dry and fry. You can also bake potatoes (or use leftover baked potatoes) and use them for pan fried potatoes.

Try these easy top of the stove au gratin potatoes!

Nutrition

Calories: 265kcal | Carbohydrates: 53g | Protein: 6g | Fat: 4g | Saturated Fat: 2g | Cholesterol: 10mg | Sodium: 15mg | Potassium: 1211mg | Fiber: 4g | Sugar: 2g | Vitamin A: 115IU | Vitamin C: 17.7mg | Calcium: 41mg | Iron: 2.5mg

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