Southern Fried Potatoes

Southern fried potatoes are an easy, delicious, old fashioned inspired side dish. Perfect for any meal including breakfast, lunch or dinner these potatoes are made with simple ingredients like onions, bacon fat, and russet potatoes. Fried in a skillet these potatoes are perfect for weeknight meals but are also tasty enough to serve to guests. 

Why you will love this recipe: 

• These southern fried potatoes and onions turn out perfectly crispy on the outside, yet nice and tender on the inside and have the most incredible flavour. 
• They are really versatile. Serve them at any meal including breakfast, lunch or dinner and feel free to add other ingredients like cooked sausage to make them into a complete meal. 
• They make great leftovers and are a great way to use up leftover bacon fat to reduce your food waste. 
• They are quick, simple and easy to make and are cooked in one skillet so the clean up is a breeze. 
• These fried potatoes are also know as Grandma's fried potatoes since they are such a classic, old fashioned recipe.
• This is a healthy side dish that is naturally gluten free, dairy free, paleo and Whole30 and I've included a vegan option too! 

Taste and texture:

These fried breakfast potatoes are nice and crispy on the outside yet soft and tender on the inside. The fried onions add a delicious aromatic flavour and the salt and pepper add the perfect amount of extra flavour.

Key ingredients and substitutions:

• Russet potatoes - the base for this amazing side dish. Russet potatoes are the preferred choice because their skin will get nice and crisp when you fry them. 
• Onion - to help give these pan fried potatoes the most incredible, aromatic flavour. Either white onion, yellow onion or sweet onion works for this recipe.
• Bacon fat - this cooking fat helps make the potatoes so nice and crispy and gives them an amazing taste. You could easily use butter, coconut oil or ghee to fry these potatoes instead. 
• Salt and pepper - I kept the spices simple for this recipe but you could easily add other spices such as garlic power to pump up the flavour even more. 

How to make this recipe: 

Step one:

First you will wash and dry the potatoes and then chop them into pieces, approximately 0.5-0.75 inches square.

Step two:

Next you will melt the fat in a skillet over medium heat. Once the fat is melted, add the chopped potatoes, chopped onion, salt and pepper. Stir everything well and then cover the skillet. Cook everything together for 10-12 minutes, stirring frequently so the potatoes don't stick to the skillet.

Step three:

Remove the lid from the skillet and turn up the temperature to medium high. Cook everything for another 10-12 minutes, stirring frequently to crisp up the potatoes. 

Chef's tips: 

• To turn this into a complete meal add some cooked, chopped sausage. 
• Be sure to stir the potatoes frequently while cooking to prevent them from sticking to the skillet or pan. 
• I love using a cast iron skillet to make these potatoes, but any type of skillet or pan will do to cook these sliced fried potatoes. 

Variations and add ins: 

• Instead of bacon fat you can use butter, coconut oil, or ghee to cook these potatoes.
• Instead of Russet potatoes you could use Yukon gold or red potatoes, but they won't get as crispy. 
• To make this recipe vegan: use vegan butter or coconut oil instead of bacon fat.
• Feel free to add other spices such as garlic powder or chili powder to give these potatoes a different flavour. 
• To add even more vegetables, add some chopped bell peppers to this recipe.

What to serve with fried potatoes and onions:

• If eating them for breakfast I love pairing them with cooked sausages, an omelette or scrambled eggs.
• Pair them with a beef burger, turkey burger, pork burger or duck burger.
• Serve them with your favourite steak. 

How to store:

Store any leftover cooked potatoes and onions in the fridge in an airtight container for up to 7 days.

I do not recommend freezing these potatoes. They turn out pretty mushy when they are thawed.

Frequently asked questions: 

Other potato recipes you will love: 

• Green Beans and Potatoes
• Sweet Potato Rice
• Crispy Potato Wedges
• Healthy Scalloped Potatoes
• Healthy Potato Salad

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