Crispy Skillet Fried Breakfast Potatoes
Inside: The trick to making a Mexican Chicken Casserole without a can of condensed soup.
The best part of breakfast is the crispy fried breakfast potatoes. Perfect, diner-style fried potatoes must be tender, uber-crispy and golden brown. My method can be prepped the night before for a quick and easy morning. Make this recipe for skillet spuds that are crisp, golden, and delicious.
I love those crispy breakfast potatoes at local diners and mom-and-pop restaurants. You know, the ones that are golden and have a crackly exterior? That’s what I’m talking about. This recipe is for the diner-style spuds of your dreams.
They’re great with eggs, a side of applewood smoked bacon, baked ham or sausage, and while I’m not a “breakfast ketchup” person, I can certainly see where ketchup lovers would want a bottle of Heinz close by.
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Table of Contents
Why you’ll love this recipe:
- They go with everything from fried eggs to tofu scrambles and breakfast casseroles.
- The crispy browned taters can be prepped the night before and fried crisp and golden in a skillet the following day.
- You can season the skillet potatoes with simple salt and pepper or your favorite seasoning blend.
Ingredients needed for breakfast potatoes:
- Potatoes – you can use red, white, Yukon gold potatoes, or russet potatoes. The red and white potatoes have a finer grain, while gold and russet are fluffier.
- Extra Virgin Olive Oil – use your everyday variety – I get mine from Costco.
- Salt & Pepper for seasoning.
- Sweet or Smoked Paprika (optional) adds a great flavor and color.
- Onion is cooked to crisp-tender, so they don’t have a sharp flavor but holds their integrity.
- Green Pepper – the vegetal quality rounds out the flavors without overpowering.
- Scallions – a.k.a. green onion- give a pop of freshness.
Special equipment:
Though this breakfast potato recipe is simple, I recommend using a good quality non-stick skillet to get a crispy exterior without falling apart.
There are a lot of good nonstick pans on the market now (I used All-Clad), and the potatoes were impervious to sticking, and that slick surface let the tubers fry to a crackly crust without breaking apart.
How to make breakfast potatoes:
I’ve used several methods to make fried breakfast potatoes in the past. However, my favorite way is to boil them first. This way, you’re assured that they will be perfectly tender on the inside, even before pan-frying them.
- Boil whole potatoes until they’re tender. (You can tell if they’re done by sticking a sharp paring knife into the center of the spud and lifting it; if the tuber slips off the blade, they’re done.)
2. Peel the boiled spuds once they’re cool enough to handle. The skins will easily slip off once they’re cooked. I use a paring knife for this.
3. Cut them into a ½” dice. Spread them into a single layer and let the potatoes air dry until all the steam has evaporated and they’re just a bit tacky to the touch. (You can make them up to this point the night before). This step is important as it gets rid of any excess moisture.
4. Over medium-high heat in your nonstick skillet, sauté the onion, bell pepper, and scallions in olive oil until they’re crisp-tender (2-3 minutes) and transfer to a small bowl.
5. Drizzle olive oil into the non-stick pan and add the diced potatoes. Season with salt, pepper, and paprika, and shake the pan vigorously to spread the potatoes into a single layer.
6. Fry the breakfast potatoes for about 3-5 minutes without stirring so they can start to get that golden fried crust.
7. Shake the pan or use a spatula to flip the potatoes every 2-3 minutes for another 10-12 minutes until the they’re crispy and golden. Transfer the crispy home fries to another dish.
8. Add more oil to the skillet and saute the onions, bell peppers, and scallions until crisp-tender, about 2-3 minutes.
9. Add the taters back to the skillet and season with paprika and additional salt and pepper if needed. If the pan needs more oil, add one teaspoon at a time so breakfast potatoes have enough to crisp.
Voilá! The diner-style crispy breakfast potatoes of your dreams!
Make Ahead & Storage
For a quicker prep in the morning, do some of these tasks the day before or up to a week in advance.
- Boil, peel and dice the spuds.
- Dry the potatoes by spreading them into an even layer on a rimmed baking sheet to air dry until they’re at room temperature and tacky to the touch.
- Store them in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to a week.
- Remove the tubers from the fridge about 20 minutes before frying so they can come to room temperature. It should only take 15 minutes to pan-fry and crisp the potatoes with olive oil in a hot skillet.
To reheat easy breakfast potatoes:
Reheating leftovers can be done in an oven or air fryer basket. Spread the hash browns in an even layer on a parchment paper lined baking sheet and bake for 10 minutes at 375° or in an air fryer set to 350° for about 5 minutes.
With this make-ahead trick, you can have fried breakfast potatoes whenever you like.
Cooking Tips:
- The key to getting crispy skillet-fried potatoes is to stop fussing with them. Most home cooks stir and flip the home fries constantly, but to achieve that classic crusty, brown exterior, you must give the potatoes time and contact with the hot skillet.
- You don’t want them to burn, either. Be watchful. Use your eyes and nose for indications of burning, but give the home fries time to achieve the crusty edges you want.
These home fries are simply seasoned, but don’t be afraid to kick up the flavors. Instead of plain salt, pepper and paprika, try these options:
Variations:
- Smoky Chipotle Seasoning & Dry Rub.
- Use fire-roasted hatch chiles instead of the bell pepper for a Southwestern flair.
- Use 1½ teaspoons of Cajun seasoning instead of salt, pepper, and paprika.
- Swap 1½ teaspoons of Old Bay for the paprika.
- For spicy breakfast potatoes, add a pinch of cayenne pepper
- Sprinkle with fresh herbs like thyme, rosemary, sage, parsley or chives.
- Swap the green pepper for red bell pepper for a sweeter flavor profile.
What to serve with fried breakfast potatoes:
- Ham and Cheese Frittata with Asparagus and Sun Dried Tomatoes
- Quick and Easy Crustless Vegetable Quiche
- Homemade Applewood Smoked Bacon
- Cajun Andouille Sausage Sweet Potato Frittata
- Smoked Salmon Omelette
- V-8 Bloody Mary
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Crispy Breakfast Potatoes
SPECIAL EQUIPMENT:
- Heavy 12-inch Non-Stick Skillet
INGREDIENTS:
- 1 pound potatoes (red potatoes, white potatoes or yukon gold
- 3-4 tablespoons olive oil
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt
- ½ teaspoon black pepper
- ¼- ½ teaspoon smoked or sweet paprika
- ¼ cup onion diced
- ¼ cup green pepper seeded and diced
- 2 scallions white and green parts, chopped
DIRECTIONS:
- Place 1 pound potatoes in a large saucepan and cover with water. Bring to a boil over high heat and cook for 10-15 minutes or until tender. You can tell when they’re done by sticking a sharp knife into the center of the spud – if the knife pulls out easily, they’re done.
- Drain the water from the tubers and set them aside to cool.
- When they’re cool enough to handle, use a sharp paring knife and peel away the skins – they will slide off pretty quickly, and it doesn’t have to be perfect. (Conversely, you can also leave them on).
- Dice the home fries into ½” pieces and spread them in a single layer on your cutting board for more heat to evaporate. For frying, you want them to be as dry as possible; evaporation will help.
- Add two tablespoons of oil to the skillet and heat over high heat. When the oil and pan are hot, add the potato dice and gently spread them out in the pan so they’re not crowded and in a single layer. Sprinkle with 1 teaspoon kosher salt and ½ teaspoon black pepper. Cook for 3-5 minutes WITHOUT TOUCHING OR STIRRING.
- Shake the pan and if you’re handy with it, you can gently toss the diced spuds. If you’re not as comfortable with tossing them, use a spatula to gently flip them and cook for another 3-5 minutes. The potatoes will start to take on some color.
- Cook for about 10 minutes, shaking and flipping until they’re a dark golden brown and crispy on most sides. If the potatoes need additional oil to crisp, drizzle it in 1 teaspoon at a time before adding more. Transfer to another dish.
- Heat 2 teaspoons of olive oil in a large 12″ nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Add ¼ cup onion, ¼ cup green pepper and 2 scallions and cook for 2-3 minutes or until crisp tender and fragrant. Transfer the veggies to a small bowl and set aside.
- Add the potatoes back to the pan and sprinkle with ¼- ½ teaspoon smoked or sweet paprika. Toss to combine evenly. When the breakfast potatoes are heated through and crisp, serve.
NOTES:
NUTRITION:
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This is the best recipe for country styled breakfast potatoes…I mean the BEST!
These potatoes look delicious. I love how the recipe is simple and yet I can tell that they will be full of flavor. This looks like a great way to mix up the usual way my family makes potatoes. I can’t wait to try these with our fresh homegrown potatoes.
This is the perfect hash recipe! The potatoes are perfectly cooked and flavored so well. Thanks for sharing!
Love that this recipe uses fresh potatoes and not like frozen hash browns! WAY better for the perfect breakfast.
Oh I love this! I can’t wait to have breakfast already! This Crispy Skillet Fried Breakfast Potatoes looks absolutely divine!
Yummy! This recipe looks so delicious and tasty! Can’t wait to make this!
I love potatoes and this is such a simple and flavorful recipes. Going to give this a try.
first off: I never boil my potatoes pre frying. Simply bake them in a micro wave, til fork tender. Careful do not over cook them. Leave some time for the skillet and the browning. Secondly: I never salt or pepper or use any other condiment until after they are ready from the skillet. You see, condiments stick better when they are hot and not when they are cooking in a skillet. Plus a better flavor experience. Otherwise, we have used potatoes for taco filling, , Of course one may add some chorizo or flavors. \\Yes, potatoes are wonderful roots to eat.
My favorite part of breakfast. Thanks for the tips!