These crispy fried potatoes and onions come together in one skillet with just a few healthy ingredients. Golden, hearty and filling – the perfect side dish to accompany real food for breakfast, brunch or dinner!
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There’s something deeply comforting about a pan of crispy fried potatoes and onions. Simple, affordable, and made with just a handful of real food ingredients, this classic side dish transforms plain potatoes and onions into something golden, hearty, and downright craving-worthy.
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Perfect for breakfast, brunch or dinner. These potatoes come together in one skillet and pair wonderfully with eggs, meat, or even a fresh green salad.
If you’ve ever wondered how to make fried potatoes and onions that are truly crispy and never mushy, read on – we’ve got all the tips!
Why you’ll love this roasted potatoes and onions recipe
There are so many reasons to fall in love with this delicious side dish.
- Ultimate Comfort Food: It is a dish that warms from the inside out and is reminiscent of home-cooked meals.
- Quick and easy: With minimal ingredients and simple steps, you can have this flavorful side dish on your table in under 30 minutes.
- Budget friendly: Potatoes and onions are affordable pantry staples, making them a very cost-effective choice for any meal.
- Incredibly versatile: It goes wonderfully with a variety of main dishes, from breakfast eggs to grilled steak to fried chicken.
- Naturally delicious: The natural sweetness of the onions combined with savory potatoes and garlic creates a truly irresistible flavor profile.
Ingredients and Substitutes
Scroll down to the recipe card for the full Roast Potatoes and Onions recipe.
The best potatoes for this recipe are golden potatoes. Yukon Gold and Russet work well. Cut evenly into 1/4-inch pieces.
Cook the potatoes in olive oil or avocado oil. For a buttery taste, add some butter too.
Season with a little sea salt.
Minced garlic adds a delicious garlicky flavor!
Slice the sweet onion. We like to use sweet onions because they caramelize wonderfully!
Taste and texture
This roasted potato and onion dish feels as good as it tastes! The potatoes are golden brown and slightly crispy on the outside, but fluffy and warm on the inside.
The onions are soft, sweet and deliciously caramelized. It’s the perfect side dish for holidays, potlucks, meal prep, and leftovers!
How to do it
Step 1
Start by cutting the potatoes into ¼-inch rounds. For extra tender potatoes, boil the potatoes for 10 minutes. Then rinse and dry.
Step 2
Heat a large skillet over medium-high heat. Pour in the oil. Once the oil is hot, carefully add the potatoes in an even layer. Sprinkle with sea salt.
Step 3
Place a lid on the pan. Cook untouched for 5 minutes. Then turn the potatoes. Add the onions. Cook for another 5 minutes with the lid closed.
Step 4
Remove the lid and turn the heat to medium. Add the minced garlic. Stir occasionally and cook for another 10 minutes, or until the onions are cooked through.
Step 5
Finally, remove from the heat. Serve these fried potatoes and onions!
Expert tips for success
Follow these tips and tricks to make the best fried potatoes and onions.
Choose wisely: We strongly recommend using it Gold potatoes for this recipe. Their waxy texture holds their shape well when sliced and fried, providing a creamy interior and that sought-after crispy exterior.
Pre-cook for tenderness (optional but recommended!): For particularly tender potatoes, you should pre-cook the potato slices for 10 minutes. This helps remove excess starch and softens it from the inside out, resulting in more even cooking. Rinse and dry thoroughly.
Don’t overfill the pan: For optimal browning and crispiness, place the potatoes in a single, even layer when you first place them in the hot pan. Cook in batches if necessary.
Patience is a virtue: Let the potatoes cook undisturbed for the first 5 minutes with the lid closed.
Control your heat: Start with medium heat to get a nice golden crust without burning. Once the onions and garlic are added, reduce the heat to medium-low to prevent the garlic from burning and to allow the onions to caramelize properly.
Skin on or off? This is a personal preference! While you can peel the potatoes, leaving the peel on will give you a little more texture, flavor, and some additional nutrients.
Flavor variations and add-ins
While this roasted potatoes and onions recipe is really tasty on its own, it’s a blank canvas!
- Smoky bacon and fat: Fry some chopped bacon until crispy, then remove and fry the potatoes and onions with a tablespoon or two of the rendered bacon fat. Sprinkle the bacon over the finished dish for a rich, smoky flavor.
- Herbal tea: For an aromatic boost, stir in freshly chopped herbs such as rosemary, thyme or chives in the last few minutes of cooking.
- Spicy kick: A pinch of red pepper flakes along with the garlic can add a subtle heat and spiciness.
- Cheese enjoyment: Sprinkle with grated cheddar, parmesan, or melted cheese mixture in the last minutes of cooking until melted and bubbly.
- Paprika power: A teaspoon of smoked paprika can give your potatoes a wonderful depth of flavor and a lovely reddish hue.
- Paprika Pop: Slice some peppers (any color!) and add them along with the onions for extra color, sweetness, and crunch.
How to serve and store it
This versatile dish makes a great side dish to almost any meal. Here are some serving suggestions:
- Breakfast & Brunch: A classic combination with scrambled eggsBacon, Sausageor even as part of one Breakfast burrito.
- Lunch and dinner: Perfectly wrong Chicken, steak, Pork chopsHamburger or a simple green salad.
- Standalone snack: So delicious you might eat them straight from the pan!
Storage: Store leftover roasted potatoes and onions in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 4 days.
Warm up: For best results, heat the leftovers in a skillet with a little olive oil over medium-high heat until heated through and slightly crispy again. This method helps preserve their texture better than microwave.
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
The key is patience and lower heat. After the initial covered cooking, keep the heat on medium-low. This allows the onions to slowly soften and release their natural sugars, making them golden brown and sweet without burning. Stir them occasionally.
Yes, you can use butter or a mixture of butter and olive oil for frying. Butter provides a rich, nutty flavor but can burn more easily. Therefore, keep the heat a little lower if you are using mostly butter.
Definitely! You can first fry some slices of sausage, chopped bacon or even small pieces of chicken in the pan, remove them and then cook the potatoes and onions. Add the cooked meat back in for the last few minutes to allow it to warm through.
Garlic can become bitter if burned. Make sure to add the minced garlic towards the end of cooking (last 10 minutes) after lowering the heat. Stir well and do not leave it on very high heat for too long.
Equipment needed
Large non-stick pan: This large nonstick pan is great for making dinner! It’s easy to clean and big enough for a family dinner.
Wooden spoons and spatulas: These wooden spoons and spatulas are great for stirring.
You can enjoy it too
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