First published September 2011. Last updated April 25, 2025 for editorial improvements.
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🎥 Video
I was raised on these fried potatoes! They always come out crispy and delicious with tender insides - and we'd often have them for breakfast with light, fluffy scrambled eggs and sausage. Sometimes we'd have them with dinner (the best with pork chops!).
Either way, there were rarely leftovers!
🧾 Ingredients
The type of potato you choose makes a difference. If you use Russets you definitely want to soak them in water before frying because they have a high starch content but they will be crispier overall. Be sure to check out the comparison table below.
I like peanut oil for frying because of it's high smoke point but if there's an allergy then use any light oil. Once the potatoes are cooked I like to sprinkle them with a little creole seasoning to spice 'em up.
Which potatoes are best for frying?
| Type | Frying | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Russet/Idaho | Best | high starch/soak in water |
| White | Good | lower starch/ no need to soak |
| Red skinned | OK | low starch - don't get as crispy |
| Yukon gold | OK | low starch - don't get as crispy |
📖 Recipe
Pan Fried Potatoes Recipe
Print Pin Recipe Save Recipe Rate RecipeIngredients
- 6 - 8 large potatoes, peeled (or not) and sliced about ¼-inch thick
- 1 sweet onion, optional
- 1 clove garlic, optional
- 1 bell pepper, optional - green, red, poblano, jalapeno, all of them - you decide
- salt to taste, I prefer kosher salt
- black pepper to taste, I prefer coarse ground pepper
- ¼ cup peanut oil, light vegetable oil will work if there are allergy issues
- 2 tablespoons butter
Instructions
- Peel and slice (or cube) potatoes. You can also leave them unpeeled - just wash well.
- Let soak for 5-10 minutes in ice water in a large mixing bowl. You may skip this step if you like.
- Drain well and pat dry - make sure they are VERY dry!
- Heat ¼ cup peanut oil in a large skillet on medium 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.
- Saute, 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 black 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 ⅛ inch is right.
- 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.
Nutrition Facts
Nutrition information is estimated as a courtesy. If using for medical purposes, please verify information using your own nutritional calculator. Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000 calorie diet.
This recipe has been tested several times. If you choose to use other ingredients, or change the technique in some way, the results may not be the same.
➡️ Why aren't my fried potatoes crispy?
If your fried potatoes are soggy rather than the crispy potatoes you crave, 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 a very starchy variety 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 well-seasoned cast iron pan is best for frying potatoes. Try not to use a non-stick skillet. They don't get hot enough.
Why do you soak the slices 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.
🍽️ No waste: creative ways to repurpose
- Use as a topping for shepherd's pie instead of mashed. This works with homemade tater tots, too.
- Heat back up with some sliced smoked sausage for a quick, easy dinner.
- Chop up and add to omelets with diced ham or sausage and cheese.
📚 More Southern comfort: related recipes you'll love
Here are more delicious side dishes to complement any meal.
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Polly says
Marye, thank you for sharing this! I have made this so many times. Everyone that tries it, loves it!
Mariya says
These look so delicious! I bet my family would love for me to make these sometime.
Alina says
Thanks! I just love fried potates. I actually have never tried making it on my own. I really should!
Andrina Mathew says
nice and superb.
Stephen says
This came out perfect!! I served this with some corned beef and cabbage that I cooked separately (normally I also add potatos and onions and bell peppers to my corned beef and cabbage during various stages of cooking -- but not this time). It was so much better this way and allowed me to get the veggies cooked and yet still crisp where I wanted without the problems I typically encounter. This will be my go to method from now on and thank you for sharing.
Kathryn Anderson says
So I followed the recipe to a T. Well, I started too. I put the oil on high like I was supposed too. I got the potato ready, frequently checking the oil. Not long after I put it on high the thing bursted into flames and scared me to death. A lesson I learned today, fact check recipes when it comes to heat and never ever ever put oil on high no matter what the recipe says.
Marye Audet says
Oil will combust if you leave it on high with nothing in it.
Caleb says
I’ve tried making cubed country fried potatoes a dozen times before and they always came out tasting undercooked or, when I tried boiling them before cooking, came out like fried mashed potatoes.. I saw this recipe and was skeptical, but thought I’d try it. The whole time they were cooking, I didn’t think they were getting soft because they were hard to the touch with the spatula. I finally got tired of stirring them in the skillet and dropped them on a plate. For some reason, they immediately got soft after they cooled down a bit. Also, they were pretty delicious! I’ll be using this cold water process when I fry my potatoes from now on.
Jerry Smith says
It worked! Lol, I am a total novice to cooking. Case in point, I googled how to fry potatoes. I could have sworn I use to fry them in water with peppers, but I couldn't remember the specifics from over a decade ago. I was also concerned at first, because after the first 5 minutes frying in oil, the potatoes were clearly not done yet, but after putting them back in the pan and finishing, they turned out great! Even my picky 9 year old loved them!
Edna says
THANK YOU!
I have been digging through recipes looking for someone who makes these potatoes like my momma used to. I can't tell you how happy I am that I landed on yours. THEY'RE PERFECT.
Roger says
You had me dreaming there for a while. Then I tried the recipe. It just doesn't work. I followed it to a T and ended up with half-cooked potatoes and charred onions and peppers. Even after I ran them through the microwave on high for 3 minutes they were still "dead in the water," so to speak. I ended up with the usual batch of half-baked (no pun intended) potatoes thrown in the trash. Too bad. Time to move on to someone else who knows how to cook.
Marye Audet says
Awww... way to stay classy! Sorry they didn't work for you - but.. you know what they say... it's a poor workman that blames his tools.
bo says
That's awesome!!!!! Don't take that shit girl!
Pam Ebarb says
My mama always dusted the potatoes with flour before putting them in the skillet. I still do that to this day. They don't taste like Mama's if I don't!!
Marye Audet says
I have never heard of that but it's brilliant!
Asha says
This was finally the recipe that I used to make the best fried potatoes! I have been trying for a very long time to make these, but something always went wrong. The key for me were three things: use a cast iron skillet, use enough oil, and use medium low temperature. That was it!! They turned out perfect. Thank you sooo much for the perfect fried potatoes recipe.
Emily Chase says
i tried this at home and my family love it.They said it has the same taste with what McD does
Maryjo Slabaugh says
Duck fat is the best! Potatoes will never be greasy. It has a high heat tolerance and is healthy like olive oil! Morethangourmet.com or Amazon sells it. Gourmet markets as well.
Taylor says
Followed this recipe exactly and they were the best fired potatoes ever. Thanks!
Alaina Mead says
How far ahead can I cut the potatoes? Would the day before be okay?
Marye Audet says
You could if you leave them in the fridge covered with water... but I don't recommend it. Probably not more than a couple of hours ahead.
Kris says
Potatoes covered in water will stay good in the refrigerator up to a week
Christal says
I just followed this recipe and fried them in my grandmas old iron skillet. These have to have been the crispiest fried potatoes I have had in a long time! No more soggy fried pofrom here on out. Thank you so much for sharing this recipe.
crispy potato lover says
Perfect! as suggested, cooked onion,jalapenos,garlic,pepper red and firs t before potatoes,added near end of cooking. so good, Thank you!
Taylor says
Why is the recipe printed in gray? I have never been able to understand why any information would be in gray? Possibly, somewhere along the line, someone thought gray was cool. Others followed. A newspapers uses black. I wish all websites would get back to using black. I hear people complain often about this gray
Issue. Wish I could read the recipe. Gray is discouraging. Why bother?
Marye Audet says
It may be your printer? The recipe prints in black and white for most people if you use the print button.
Jay says
Made these for the first time today, and yep - Just like Mom's! I ended up eating the entire batch without anything else until I was a happily crispy potato stuffed kid again!
Thanks 🙂