These golden, crispy home fries are made with sautéd onion, garlic powder and smoked paprika. Finish off for fresh chopped herbs for an final boost of flavor. Serve these classic breakfast potatoes with eggs, bacon or your favorite brunch sides!
Why You’ll Love These Home Fries
These homemade skillet potatoes are what breakfast (or brunch) dreams are made of – crispy, flavorful and super versatile!
- Crispy outside + soft inside: Parboil then steam dry the potatoes first to achieve that golden, crunchy exterior while keeping the centers nice and fluffy.
- Simple ingredients: All you need are some potatoes, diced onion, garlic powder, smoked paprika, cooking oil and a good pinch of salt and pepper.
- Customizable Flavor: Add fresh herbs like chives, parsley & scallions. Dice up a bell pepper for some extra color and flavor. Add cayenne or chili powder for extra heat. Spice options are endless.
How to Make the Best Home Fried Potatoes
The key to making home-fried potatoes that are soft & fluffy on the inside with golden, crispy edges is to par boil then fully dry the potatoes before frying.
Par boiling the potatoes before frying will reduce frying time while ensuring that the insides cook in time with the outside.
It also works by reducing some of the sugars (starches) in the potatoes while forming a gelatinous layer on the outside. When added to a hot oiled pan, this gelatinous layer crisps up into a nice, golden brown exterior.
Breakfast Potatoes in Bite-Sized Steps
Par boil: Cover the raw potatoes with cold water then bring to a boil (lid, partially on). Boil 5-8 minutes or until the outsides are easily pierced by a fork.
Steam dry: Drain the water then place the potatoes in a colander over the hot pot and let the residual heat of the burner (turned off) dry the potatoes.
Sauté onion: While the potatoes dry, sauté the onion until soft and translucent. After sautéing, remove the onions from the pan & set aside for later.
Fry without stirring then flip: Add more oil. When the oil is hot, spread the potatoes across the bottom of the pan in a single layer. Fry about 5 minutes, then flip and fry another 3-4 minutes.
Add onion & spice: Return the onion to the pan along with the spices.
Mix & season: Stir everything together and cook another 1-2 minutes.
Additions & Substitutions:
- Fresh Herbs: Add fresh chives, spring onions, basil and/or parsley.
- Make it Cheesy: Sprinkle grated cheese over the potatoes at the end. Leave 1-2 minutes to melt before serving.
- Add Peppers: Dice up and deseed a red or green bell pepper. Add to the sautéd onion after a few minutes to soften.
- Make it Low FODMAP Friendly:
- → Omit the garlic powder
- → Swap the onion with sliced spring onions – only add the leafy green parts. No need to sauté first. Just add along with the spices at the end.
- → Optional: Fry the potatoes in a garlic infused olive oil.
- Add Some Heat: Add cayenne, chili powder or chili flakes to the spice mix or dice up a chili to sauté with the onion.
What to Serve with Your Breakfast Potatoes
These crispy skillet potatoes make a great breakfast side dish to just about any breakfast or brunch spread.
Keep it simple by pair them with classic eggs, bacon and breakfast sausage. Make to serve alongside savory breakfast dishes like quiche, omelette, frittatas or breakfast sandwiches. They’re even great with sweet breakfast dishes like pancakes, waffles and French toast.
Enjoy!
Let me know if you try this home fries recipe! Leave a comment and review with your thoughts. I always appreciate the feedback and serving suggestions that you come up with!
Skillet Breakfast Potatoes (Home Fries Recipe)
These diner-style home fries are easy to make and incredibly satisfying! Make sure to dry the potatoes completely and thoroughly heat your pan to make sure they're extra crispy on the outside and fluffy in the middle!
Ingredients
- 1 ½ lbs white potatoes, cut into ½-inch pieces (680g) - peel or unpeeled
- 3-4 tbsp olive oil (45-60ml)
- ½ white onion, diced
- ¾ tsp salt
- ½ tsp black pepper
- ½ tsp garlic powder
- ½ tsp smoked paprika
- ¼ tsp cayenne - optional
- 2 tbsp fresh chives or spring onions, chopped- optional
Instructions
- Par boil potatoes: Add potatoes to a small pot with a fitted lid and cover with at least 1-inch cold water. Place the lid partially over the pot so that the steam can escape without boiling over. Bring to a boil over a high heat for about 5-8 minutes or until the potatoes are easily pierced with a fork on the outside with a little bit of resistance in the middle
- Steam dry potatoes: Pour potatoes into a colander to drain water then place the colander over the now empty pot. Put the pot back on the stove top (with burner switched off). Leave the potatoes to steam dry while you sauté the onion.
- Sauté onion: Place a large skillet or nonstick pan over a medium-low heat. Add 1-2 tablespoons oil. When the oil is hot, add the diced onion and sauté, stirring often, about 8-10 minutes until soft and golden. Transfer the onions to a bowl or plate and set aside.
- Fry potatoes: Wipe down the now empty skillet to remove any leftover bits. Add another 1-2 tablespoons of oil and warm over a medium-high heat. When the oil is hot and shimmering, add the dry, par-boiled potatoes. Spread them out in a single, even layer and let cook without stirring for about 5 minutes until the bottoms brown and crisp up. Flip the potatoes over and cook another 3-4 minutes without stirring.
- Add onion & spices: Add the sautéd onion back to the pan along with the remaining spices: salt, pepper, garlic powder, paprika and cayenne (if using). Stir everything together and cook another couple of minutes.
- Finish: Turn off the heat and stir in the chopped chives. Taste and season with more salt and pepper as you see fit then serve.
Notes
- Potato Type: Choose a high starch/ floury variety like russet potatoes, yukon gold, maris piper, King Edward, etc.
- Leftovers: Cool and store in an airtight container in the fridge up to 3 days. I reheat on the stop top with a bit of olive oil and stir fry until heated through.
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