Potatoes O'Brien

Potatoes O’Brien is typically reserved for diners and weekend brunches, but you can make it any time. I boil the potatoes until they’re almost tender, then season and fry with the delicious red peppers, green peppers, onions, and seasoning.

You can also make these classic skillet potatoes ahead of time and freeze them. Then you have delicious breakfast potatoes ready whenever you need a quick and easy breakfast.

🥘 Ingredients

• Russet Potatoes – Russet potatoes are the classic potato used for potatoes O’Brien. You should wash these well and dice them into ½-inch cubes. Yukon gold potatoes or yellow potatoes would be my next choice, followed by red potatoes.
• Cooking Oil – We’ll need a good amount of oil to fry these potatoes so they don’t stick to the pan. I like a neutral oil with a high smoke point like vegetable oil or beef tallow instead of olive oil for this recipe. You can finish with a tablespoon of butter for added richness.
• Green Bell Pepper – You can’t have potatoes O’Brien without peppers. The green bell pepper should be de-seeded and cut into ½ -inch diced pieces.
• Red Bell Pepper – The red bell pepper should be de-seeded and cut into ½-inch dice. You want the potatoes, onions, and peppers to be around the same size.
• Onion – You can use white or yellow onion, depending on preference. The onion should be about the same size as the peppers and potatoes but it will shrink more during cooking.  
• Salt & Pepper – Salt and black pepper are the main seasonings for the potatoes, so add as much or as little as you desire. ¼ teaspoon (more or less, to taste) of garlic powder and onion powder are common spices that can be added if desired. A pinch or two of paprika or smoked paprika is also wonderfully suited to this dish.
• Parsley (optional) - Fresh, chopped parsley or dried parsley for garnish when serving, if desired.

🔪 How To Make Potatoes O'Brien

Boiling the potatoes first makes them cook up super quickly. You'll need a sharp knife and cutting board, a large pot, a colander, a large frying pan, and your measuring spoons.

This recipe makes 4 hearty servings or 6 smaller side servings.

Prep & Par-boil

Step 1: Prep your potatoes. Start the potatoes O’Brien by washing and dicing 3 large russet potatoes (900 grams) into ½-inch cubes and transferring them into a large pot of salted cold water.

Next, bring the potatoes to a boil, then reduce heat to medium-low, cover, and simmer for 8 to 10 minutes. The potatoes should be slightly tender but not falling apart (photo 1).

Step 2: Prep your veggies. Once the potatoes are done, drain and rinse them in cold water. Set aside. Then, you want to de-seed and dice ½ each of a large green and red bell pepper (70 grams each) into ½-inch pieces.

Dice enough onion to make ¼ cup (40 grams or about ½ a large onion). Set all the prepped veggies aside with the potatoes.

Saute The Vegetables Until Tender

Step 3: Saute the veggies. Heat a large skillet or frying pan with 2 tablespoons (29.57 milliliters) of vegetable oil over medium-high heat. Once the oil begins to shimmer and starts to smoke, add the onions and saute for a couple of minutes (photo 2).

Next, add the prepared red and green bell peppers (photo 3), and cook for 2 more minutes (photo 4).

Pan Fry The Potatoes with Veggies

Step 4: Add potatoes. Add the diced potatoes to the veggies and stir to combine (photo 5), then season the mixture with ¼ teaspoon each of salt and pepper, or to taste. Fry until crisped and golden brown, about 20 minutes (photo 6). 

Step 5: Finish and serve. Occasionally flip or stir your potatoes as they cook so they do not stick or burn. Remove from heat and serve immediately when done. Garnish with optional parsley if desired.

♨️ How To Make Oven Roasted Potatoes O'Brien

If you want a hands-free approach to your potatoes O’Brien, try making them in the oven. Follow the prep instructions above to get your potatoes and veggies ready.

Prep & Roast The Potatoes with Peppers

Step 1: Prep. Preheat your oven to 400°F (205°C/Gas Mark 6), then line a baking sheet with parchment paper.

Step 2: Arrange and season. Add the prepared (but raw) potatoes and veggies to the baking sheet. Then, add the oil and seasoning, toss to coat, and spread out to an even layer.

Step 3: Roast until golden. Place in the oven and cook for 30-35 minutes, flipping halfway through or until the potatoes are golden brown and crispy. Continue cooking for a few additional minutes for extra crispy potatoes.

♨ Air Fryer Instructions

A couple of specific things to note for air frying this classic breakfast staple: dice the veggies so they will not fall through the holes of the air fryer basket (you can also line the basket to prevent this).

Also, I suggest adding your diced peppers and onions about halfway into the cooking time as the potatoes are cooking from raw.

Preheat & Prep Potatoes and Veggies

Step 1: Preheat the air fryer. Set your air fryer to 380°F/193°C while preparing the potatoes and vegetables (you can chop the veggies while the potatoes air fry, I just like to have everything fully ready before starting).

Step 2: Toss and season. Once the potatoes are chopped, add to a bowl or your air fryer basket then drizzle or spritz with oil, and sprinkle with seasoning. Toss to coat evenly.

Step 3: Arrange and air fry potatoes. Once seasoned, spread the potatoes out into a single layer (a little overlap is OK but you need good air circulation for crispy potatoes).

Step 4: Shake and add veggies. I shake my air fryer potatoes (of any kind) about every 5 minutes while cooking. After 10 minutes, add the chopped veggies over the potatoes and add a spritz of oil or more seasoning if desired.

Step 5: Return to air fryer and finish. Continue cooking for another 10 minutes, shaking after 5 minutes. Check the potatoes with a fork to make sure they're tender. Add a few extra minutes for crispier potatoes.

Air Fryer Frozen Packaged Potatoes

Ore-Ida, Great Value, Crav'n, and Kroger are the first brands that come to mind right away that offer fully prepared frozen potatoes o'brien mixes. However, I don't think any of these brands are pre-seasoned (comment to correct me).

There are additional brands that offer diced hashbrown potatoes that can be combined with fresh veggies for an easy side dish.

Defrost & Air Fry

There are two ways to start - 1) defrost on the counter (in the package) for at least 30 minutes before air frying. Or, 2) to defrost for about 5 minutes in the air fryer.

Step 1: Preheat and defrost. Set the air fryer to 400°F (205°C) and pour the diced potatoes o'brien mix into the air fryer basket.

Do not crowd the mix, work in batches if necessary. Air fry for 5 minutes to defrost.

Step 2: Coat and season. Drizzle or spritz your preferred cooking oil onto the potatoes and add seasoning, toss to coat. *Add veggies at this point for tender bits, or add them later (and toss with the potatoes) for an 8-10 minute cooking time.

Step 3: Cook until crisped. Cook at 400°F (205°C) for 12-15 minutes more, shaking the basket every 5-6 minutes to ensure the potatoes are evenly cooked.

🥗🥘🍲 Best Served With

Pair with breakfast favorites like my sour cream scrambled eggs, air fryer bacon, Bisquick waffles, or breakfast sausage.

💭 Angela's Pro Tips & Recipe Notes

• Potato Prep in Advance: Cube the potatoes and store them submerged in cold water in a bowl. This actually removes excess starch and can help the potatoes crisp up beautifully when cooking. You can soak them up to 24 hours ahead of time.
• Peeling Potatoes: Traditionally, potatoes for O’Brien are not peeled. However, if you prefer peeled potatoes, go ahead, but keep an eye on them while cooking, or add extra oil as needed to prevent sticking.
• Versatile Breakfast Base: Potatoes O’Brien can be a fantastic addition to various egg dishes. Consider incorporating them into a frittata, quiche, baked eggs, or even a baked Denver omelet for a hearty and flavorful breakfast.

🥡 Storing & Reheating

Leftovers will last for up to 3 to 4 days in the fridge. I recommend putting the cooled leftover potatoes in an airtight container or plastic storage bag for the best quality.

Freezing

Freeze for any time you want an easy breakfast addition. Flash-freezing the potatoes is my recommendation for the best quality (no one likes trying to chip away at a big clump of frozen veggies!).

Start by laying out the cooled potatoes on a parchment or foil-covered baking sheet in one even layer. Put the potatoes in the freezer and freeze for about 4 hours.

When frozen, transfer to a heavy-duty freezer storage bag, label, and keep in your fridge for up to 3 months.

Reheating

When you’re ready to reheat, I recommend crisping the potatoes back up on the stovetop. Heat a large skillet with a drizzle of vegetable oil over medium-high heat.

Add the leftover potatoes (you can add straight from the freezer if using frozen, but be careful of the grease splatter from ice in the bag). Fry the potatoes for 5 to 10 minutes, stirring occasionally, until they’re reheated and crispy.

❓ Potatoes O'Brien Recipe FAQs

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