Crispy, tasty, home-fried potatoes seasoned to perfection and filled with caramelized onions.
Home-fried potatoes are my go-to side dish whenever I make a big brunch early weekend afternoons for friends. I love them so much, and this recipe is as close as you’ll get to real down-home southern home-fried potatoes.
Hey yall I’m back in the building!!! I made a YouTube video for this recipe many years ago but never gave you guys measurements. You all have been asking me to create a recipe for home-fried potatoes, so I finally got around to it.
Dad’s big weekend breakfast
Home-fried potatoes, aka home fries, are one of my favorite breakfast side dishes. My father used to make home fries on the weekends for breakfast all the time.
He would serve it with scrambled eggs, toast with jelly, and bacon or pork sausage links. Sometimes, he would fry some HOT sausage to go along with it.
My mother would always make fried fish for dinner on Friday and Saturday nights and my father would sometimes make home fried potatoes the next morning and eat it with any fish that was leftover.
He loved to eat fried fish with Grits too, which is also a good combination. And sometimes, he’d make cheese grits for breakfast, which is a classic southern dish. Lol!
My grandma Gwen and my nana Alice Mae would often make home fries for breakfast, too, but they didn’t make it as good as my pops did. His home fries were just on another level to me.
I remember seeing him sprinkle a little sugar over them as they fried, and that would confuse the living hell out of me as a kid because I thought it would make the home fries sweet. LMBO! But now I understand why he used sugar.
He always used a lot of onions, and by the time the home fries were done, they would be nice and caramelized because he let the onions fry for as long as he cooked the potatoes. That took the home fries to another level.
Tools:
- Pot: You need a pot with a lid to boil the potatoes in and a lid to get the potatoes tender.
- Knife: You’re going to need a knife, preferably a sharp knife, to slice the potatoes. It doesn’t have to be huge, but a nice sharp nice is ideal.
- 2 Spatulas: I like to use two wide spatulas when frying potatoes because it makes flipping them so much easier and helps prevent the splashing of hot oil.
- Large skillet: You’re going to need a large skillet because you want there to be a lot of space so the potatoes fry better and quicker, and so they’re not all bunched over each other, which prevents them from frying evenly and getting crispy.
- Measuring Cups: Make sure you have a measuring cup on hand. Whenever you follow a recipe, you want to use the exact measurements and amounts, so using measuring cups is essential.
- Measuring Spoons: Use measuring spoons for the seasonings, especially if you’re making this for the first time and want to follow the recipe to a T and exactly as written.
What you need:
- Potatoes: Russet Potatoes
- Vegetable add-ins: Yellow onions
- Seasonings: Seasoning Salt, Garlic powder, Sugar, and black pepper
- Other: Vegetable oil
About the potatoes
What type of potatoes you use is vital here because all potatoes don’t cook or fry the same and have different levels of starch and moisture, which result in different outcomes when frying, baking, and boiling.
So, it’s important to know which potatoes are best to use for different recipes so you can get the best results. Below, I’ll break down the best potato options for this recipe and which ones you want to leave alone. Lol!
Starchy vs. waxy potatoes
- Starchy potatoes: Like Idaho Russet potatoes, they are good for frying because they’re low in moisture and high in starch. Even all-purpose potatoes like Yukon Gold’s with a medium moisture level will work for frying.
- Waxy potatoes: Red potatoes, fingerling potatoes, and new potatoes are what you want to avoid when frying potatoes because they have a high moisture content, which won’t allow them to get crispy. So go for Idaho Russets or Yukon Gold potatoes for the best results.
How to cut and fry the potatoes
Now some people slice their potatoes while raw and cook them in the skillet with a little water until they’re tender then add in the oil, seasonings, and onions.
I don’t like to cook them with water because they get too mushy sometimes but some folks like them that way. Those are not home FRIED potatoes though! Home fried potatoes are crispy. Speaking of crispy how you boil them is important.
Common questions about boiling the potatoes
- Do you preheat the water? No! When you boil potatoes, add them to cool water. Don’t preheat; adding them to cool water helps the potatoes cook evenly.
- Do you cover them with a lid? Yes! Cover the potatoes while they’re boiling because that gets them tender faster. You don’t want the boiling process any longer than it has to be because this dish already takes too long to prepare. Lol!
- How to get them firm but tender? Don’t boil them too long. We’re not making mashed potatoes, so we don’t want to boil them until they’re soft as butter. We want them to have a “BITE” and be able to “CUT” into them.
- How do you know when they’re done enough? You can stick a fork or knife into them, but it doesn’t come out easily. You don’t want them fork-tender, just tender enough to stick into the potatoes.
Cutting and Frying the potatoes
Ok, so you all may be wondering how I cut my potatoes and peel the potato skin, which some people leave on their potatoes.
- Peeling the skin: Ok, so I peel the skin. Some people don’t. But boiling them first makes the peeling process easy. You don’t need to remove the skin with a potato peeler. You can simply peel it off because the skin is soft after boiling.
- How to slice potatoes: I always slice them into 1/16th wide circular-shaped pieces. I don’t like them being too thick, but not too thin, either.
- Thin potatoes are a no-no: When you cut them too thin, they cook better and faster and are tender all the way through, but don’t chop them too thin because they’ll break apart and be impossible to flip.
- Thick potatoes are a no-no: You don’t want to bite into big, thick pieces of potatoes because they don’t taste as good and are too PO-TATO-EEE! I just made that word up! Lol! The inside of the potatoes isn’t seasoned, just the outside. So you’re biting into a bland potato if that makes sense.
- High heat is key: Medium-high heat is the key here. You want them to crisp up pretty fast, and that will take forever on medium or low heat. Remember, they’re pretty much done because of the pre-boil. You just want to get them crispy and more tender in the center.
- 2 Spatulas: Also, to make the process of frying easy for yourself, use two spatulas. Place one under the potatoes and over the potatoes when flipping so they don’t splash in the oil too fast while flipping them, and burn yourself.
- Leave them alone: I add them to the skillet after I let the oil preheat for a few minutes and flip them once I see them browning on one side, which takes about 6-7 minutes. Don’t keep flipping and moving the potatoes because they’ll break and not crisp up.
- Using a small skillet? If you’re using a smaller skillet, fry the potatoes in batches. Cooking too many at once will drop the temperature, cause moisture, and prevent the potatoes from frying. So fry half of the potatoes at a time if a smaller skillet is all you have
The onions and peppers
- The onions: The caramelized onions give these potatoes life, happiness, peace, and joy, you hear me? Lol! I won’t even make them without onions; that’s a culinary sin! You have to add onions unless you just hate onions.
- Peppers? Now I do add peppers, GREEN AND RED to beautify my potatoes. They add more flavor but I didn’t use any the day I took these photos. Onions are a must, but peppers are not.
- Onion to pepper ratio: Now, if you do decide to add peppers and don’t know how much to add, add half the amount of onions you use. Thats the ratio I use, 2:1 onions to peppers. Add them at the same time and chop them finely.
Seasonings + Alternative
When it comes to the seasonings, I only use a few – seasoning salt, sugar, garlic powder, and pepper. I used to use onion powder but omitted it from the recipe because it’s not needed since we use so many onions.
With most recipes, I combine my ingredients in a shot cup or something. LMBO! I do this to ensure whatever I’m cooking is evenly seasoned and to save time. When I fry my home fries, I don’t season them until I add them to the skillet.
- Seasoning salt: Seasoning salt makes everything taste better, and I love the color of the paprika that’s in it. Use Laury’s, by the way; it’s the best brand of seasoning salt.
- Adobo seasoning: You cant go wrong with adobo seasoning. Im a big fan of it and while it’s not my favorite all purpose seasoning it has to be my 2nd favorite because I use it as much as seasoning salt.
- Salt: Salt is perfect for this recipe if it’s all you have on hand. It’s the original seasoning, so you can’t go wrong using it as an alternative. Salt just doesn’t have a flavor like complete seasonings. It’s also stronger, so use less or “salt to taste”.
- Garlic Powder: The garlic is very important here. Garlic just does something for potatoes. It’s the one seasoning that feels like it was almost made for potatoes, almost like Old Bay is made for seafood.
- Black pepper: Black pepper is one of those seasonings that make everything taste better. You don’t need to use a lot, though, as you see in the listed ingredients below. I don’t use a whole lot. You never use a lot of pepper.
- White pepper is a good alternative: I rarely use white pepper. I only use it to season my eggs as I told yall before especially when I’m making them for people because some folk dont like to see black specs in their eggs. Lol!
Onto the sugar!
Why sugar?
- Sugar neutralizes the flavor: I use garlic, lots of onions, salt, and pepper, which makes for an acidic salty dish, so to just tone things down, I use a little sugar.
- Sugar also: 1. Adds depth of flavor and 2. helps the potatoes crisp up and brown a little more. You will notice how much better they taste with a pinch of sugar vs without it. It’s sort of like a secret an ingredient that makes the potatoes pop.
How to make home fried potatoes
1. Boil the potatoes until semi-tender.
2. Slice up the onions and potatoes, then add to a hot, preheated skillet of oil.
3. Season the potatoes then add in the onions.
4. Let them fry until crispy, then flip.
5. Season the other side and fry until golden brown crispy.
Tips for success:
- Over boiling: It’s important not to boil the potatoes for too long because if they’re too tender, there’s no way you can flip them without them falling apart or even slice them for that matter.
- Seasoning process: I season them with 1/2 of the seasonings. Once they brown, I flip them and season them with the remaining half of the seasonings.
- When to add in vegetables: You can add the onions and peppers if you decide to add any, at the very beginning if you like them well caramelized, or towards the end if you just want them softened.
What to serve with home-fried potatoes
- Bacon: Bacon, bacon, bacon!!!! Preferably, crispy fried pork bacon! If you don’t eat pork, fine that’s on you because I love fried pork bacon. Nothing, and I mean nothing, especially meat, goes better with it.
- Sausage: Any sausage would be good long as it’s fried. I sometimes eat my home fries with a fried hot beef sausage, sometimes I eat it with pork links or breakfast sausage. Any sausage will do honestly.
- Fried fish: So as I said to begin this article my pops would eat his home fried potatoes with fried fish. It’s actually a pretty common combo, although pork bacon is probably the most common thing people eat with it.
- Fried Chicken: Fried chicken tastes good with anything! Lol! This would be a great option if you’re eating home fried potatoes for brunch or lunch, which I do on a late Sunday morning, early afternoon.
- Eggs: Aside from meat, eggs, the most popular breakfast side dish, are an obvious choice. I like mine nicely scrambled. You can have them scrambled with cheese or without, they taste great with home fries.
Storage and reheating
- How to store home-fried potatoes? Just place them in a bowl or tupperware bowl, make sure they’re tightly sealed, and store them in the refrigerator, preferably a cold area, to keep them fresh.
- How to reheat home-fried potatoes? If I had some home-fried potatoes left over, I’d probably place them in a skillet with a little oil and try to fry them over low heat to get them kind of crispy again.
Frequently asked questions
- How long do home-fried potatoes last? Two days, I guess? I’m not the biggest fan of saving home-fried potatoes, honestly. They taste best eaten straight out of the pan, and I never have any leftovers to save. Lol!
- What condiments should I use? In terms of condiments for anyone out of the states who maybe wondering what to dress them up with. I’d say hot sauce, ketchup, or a small amount of both. I put a lil hot sauce on mind all the time.
Other breakfast recipes you might like:
- McCloud’s Easy Southern Scrapple Recipe
- The Best Homemade Country Sausage Gravy Recipe
- The Best Scrambled Eggs Recipe
- The Best Creamy Southern Style Grits
Alright folks, enough with all the yapping… scroll down and get everything you need for this recipe. Follow it to a t and tell me what you think. I hope yall love it and if you do give me a 5 star rating.
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Enjoy, later!
PBJ ~
The BEST Home Fried Potatoes Recipe
- Prep Time: 1 Hr
- Cook Time: 15 Mins
- Total Time: 1 Hr + 15 Mins
- Yield: 6
- Category: Breakfast
- Cuisine: Soul Food
Description
Crispy, tasty, home fried potatoes with caramelized onions. A delicious, soul food style, side dish.
Ingredients
1.5 Lbs Russet Potatoes
3 Qts Water
1-1/4 Cup Yellow Onions, sliced
1/2 Cup Vegetable Oil
2 Tsps Sugar
2 Tsps Seasoning Salt
1 Tsp Garlic Powder
1/4 Tsp Black Pepper
Instructions
1. Place the potatoes in a large pot and cover with cool water.
2. Place the pot over high heat, cover with lid leaving a crack on the side, and boil for 40 minutes.
3. Once done, drain the hot water and fill the pot with cool water, then set aside.
4. While the potatoes are cooling off, slice up the onions.
5. Once the potatoes are cool, peel off the skin, then slice them into 1/16th thick circular-shaped pieces.
6. Place a large skillet over medium high heat and add in the oil.
7. After 2 minutes, add in the potatoes, and sprinkle with 1/2 of the seasonings.
8. After 7 minutes, flip the potatoes, add in the onions, and sprinkle with the remaining half of the seasonings.
9. After 7 minutes, flip the home fries again to ensure they’re all crispy.
10. Let them fry for another 2-3 minutes and then remove.
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 6
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