These pan-fried potatoes and onions are a great potato side featuring fork-tender, crispy fried potatoes and tasty onions. These potatoes will easily complement any breakfast or dinner.
Serve with roasted chicken, Ranch pork chops, or scrambled eggs for breakfast.
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These super tasty skillet potatoes are deliciously crispy on the outside and melt-in-your-mouth tender on the inside! Skip the extra step of boiling potatoes first, and cook your potatoes with my simple method for perfect pan-fried potatoes and onions.
Crispy Southern fried potatoes are a super easy side with your scrambled eggs, omelets, pancakes, waffles, or french toast for breakfast or a hearty brunch.
They're also wonderful when paired with a roasted or rotisserie chicken, meatloaf, pork roast, or Salisbury steak for dinner.
Fried potatoes and onions make a great breakfast! Be sure to try my Potatoes O'Brien for a special breakfast treat.
🥘 Ingredients
The key to this dish is simplicity. In fact, the name kind of says it all, so you'll only need a few ingredients.
- Potatoes - 2 pounds of potatoes, washed and cubed. My favorite potato for fried potatoes is russet potatoes. Use whatever potato variety that you have on hand.
- Onions - 1 medium-sized yellow onion, grated or finely chopped. Sweet yellow onions or white onions are my top picks for this easy side dish. I grate my onions so that they caramelize right onto the crisped potatoes and add so much flavor.
- Seasoning - ½ teaspoon each. Start with a base amount of salt and pepper, smoked paprika (or paprika), and some garlic powder.
- Oil - ¼ cup of extra virgin olive oil or other cooking oil.
Be sure to see the free printable recipe card below for ingredients, exact amounts & instructions with tips!
🔪 Fried Potatoes & Onions Instructions
Once your ingredients are gathered, follow these steps to cook the potatoes and onions. You'll need a knife, a cutting board, a large frying pan, and a wooden spoon.
This recipe will yield 6 servings of tasty potatoes & onions.
- Prepare the potatoes and onions. Grate 1 medium-sized onion, then wash and cube 2 pounds of potatoes into pieces that are roughly ½-¾ inch in size. The more uniform the potato pieces are, the more evenly they will cook. Heat your skillet and ¼ cup of oil to medium heat (or enough oil to cover the bottom of your skillet).
- Season and cook. Add the potatoes to the heated skillet once the oil begins to shimmer. Spread the potatoes out into an even, flat layer, season with ½ teaspoon each of salt, pepper, smoked paprika, and garlic powder, then place a tight-fitting lid onto your skillet or frying pan. Cook for 10 minutes.
- Stir. Uncover and stir the potatoes and onions until all sides are crispy and lightly browned, about 5 - 10 minutes. Your potatoes should be fork-tender when done. Remove from heat and serve immediately.
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💭 Angela's Pro Tips & Recipe Notes
- Stir in ideas that you might like to include: minced garlic, diced red or green bell peppers, shallots, green onions, mushrooms, cherry tomatoes, or diced heirloom tomatoes. You might also use fresh herbs, including chopped parsley, sprigs of rosemary, or a bunch of thyme.
- How To Avoid Soggy Fried Potatoes - Be sure to heat your oil before adding the potatoes to the skillet or frying pan. This partially covered method works for cooking the potatoes all the way through, but you need to leave them uncovered for the last half of the cooking time to burn off any excess moisture.
- Pan Frying Potatoes in Oil Vs. Butter - Butter will burn if used with high enough heat to get a good 'fry' on your taters. The oil prevents your potato dish from burning before it hits your plate. If you like the taste of butter, reserve it for adding at the end when the heat can be reduced slightly before serving.
🥡 Storing & Reheating
Any leftovers can be stored in a sealed container in the refrigerator for up to 4-5 days.
Reheating
In a pinch, you can reheat your potatoes & onions in the microwave. However, reheat the leftovers in a skillet on the stovetop for the best results.
❓ Recipe FAQs
Never! It's a completely unnecessary additional step. Use the method here to get perfectly tender fried potatoes and onions every time!
I will advocate russet potatoes as the best potatoes for pan frying. It makes sense, and they make the best french fries, too! However, russet potatoes have a high starch content; if they are not cooked correctly, they can end up soggy.
First, you must ensure the oil is hot before adding the potatoes. The potatoes will absorb the oil and become soggy if it is not hot yet. Secondly, keeping the potatoes in a single layer will help ensure they crisp up. Finally, uncovering the potatoes for the final portion of the cooking time will help to cook off any remaining moisture!
🥔 More Great Potato Side Dishes
- Au Gratin Potatoes - Thinly sliced potatoes are layered in a rich and creamy cheese sauce.
- Fondant Potatoes - Tender, creamy, and flavorful potatoes that are truly impressive.
- Garlic Red Skin Mashed Potatoes - Classic mashed potatoes with a tasty hint of garlic.
- Parmesan Roasted Mashed Potatoes - Mashed potatoes are topped with Parmesan cheese and breadcrumb topping.
- Twice Baked Potatoes - Showstopping baked potatoes loaded with all your favorite flavors.
- Dauphinoise Potatoes - An elegant dish featuring thinly sliced potatoes and a decadent cream-based sauce.
See all of my potato side dish recipes here.
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📖 Recipe Card
Fried Potatoes and Onions
Ingredients
- 2 lbs russet potatoes (washed and cut into ½ inch pieces, cubed)
- 1 medium yellow onion (grated or finely chopped)
- ¼ cup olive oil (extra virgin - more as needed, enough to cover the bottom of your frying pan)
- ½ teaspoon salt (to taste)
- ¼ teaspoon ground black pepper (to taste)
- ½ teaspoon garlic powder (to taste)
- ½ teaspoon smoked paprika (or paprika)
(Note: 2x or 3x only changes the ingredient list)
Instructions
- Grate a medium 1 medium yellow onion or white onion and wash and cube 2 lbs russet potatoes. *Peeling the potatoes is optional.
- Heat the ¼ cup olive oil in a large frying pan, skillet, or cast-iron skillet over medium heat.
- Add the grated onions, cubed potatoes, and seasoning (½ teaspoon salt, ¼ teaspoon ground black pepper, ½ teaspoon smoked paprika, and ½ teaspoon garlic powder - unless you'd like to use minced garlic, reserve the minced garlic for the uncovered cooking time).
- Stir the ingredients together then spread them in an even layer over the bottom of your pan. Cover with a tight-fitting lid and cook for 10 minutes, or until golden brown.
- After the 10 minutes of cooking while covered, uncover and stir the potatoes and onions (add minced garlic, if using). Leave uncovered to finish for about 5 to 10 minutes, or until your potatoes are fork-tender and have reached your desired level of tenderness.
- Remove from heat when the potatoes are done cooking and serve immediately.
Notes
- Stir in ideas that you might like to include: minced garlic, diced red or green bell peppers, shallots, green onions, mushrooms, cherry tomatoes, or diced heirloom tomatoes. You might also use fresh herbs, including chopped parsley, sprigs of rosemary, or a bunch of thyme.
- How To Avoid Soggy Fried Potatoes - Be sure to heat your oil before adding the potatoes to the skillet or frying pan. This partially covered method works for cooking the potatoes all the way through, but you need that uncovered for the last half of the cooking time to burn off any excess moisture.
- Pan Frying Potatoes in Oil Vs Butter - Butter will burn if used at a high enough heat to really get a good 'fry' on your taters. The oil prevents your potato dish from burning before it hits your plate. If you like the taste of butter, reserve it for adding at the end when the heat can be reduced slightly before serving.
Anonymous says
I'm going to try the potatoes right now.
Qiana says
This was my first time making potatoes like this. My family loved it. I added 1/2 teaspoon of curry powder . Recipe really easy.
Jon Rappuhn says
These are the closest to the cheap, greasy spoon, truck stop diners, (incl. Martha's Inn in George Wa. sadly gone) that I've made yet. I did make a couple of changes just to be different, I cooked ground breakfast sausage first, drained it in the pan and then cooked the potatoes and W-W Sweets, threw the sausage back in along with my scrambled egg mixture and cooked til finished. Growing up in the heart of central Washington's potato growing region I've found Wash. russets to be the superior spud to use with the Walla Walla sweets (or any potato dish). LOL.