Last Updated on 3 years by Tim

Pan-fried potatoes are a home cooking favorite all across Germany. They’re simple to make and so much more flavorful than French fries. Crispy on the outside, fluffy on the inside, but also surprisingly light.

The potatoes are typically fried together with bacon, onions, and chives. And if that doesn’t sound good enough by itself, let me tell you the secret that separates great pan-fried potatoes from good ones. It’s the knob of butter swirled around the pan at the end of the frying process.

If you’re not excited to get into your kitchen right now and make a batch of pan-fried potatoes then I honestly have no clue how to make your mouth water. I mean, it’s potatoes + bacon + onions + butter. That’s the essence of German cuisine. It doesn’t get any better than that.

Waxy potatoes make the best pan-fried potatoes

It’s best to use a waxy potato variety for this dish. You do want the outside of the potatoes to get crispy and you do also want to keep your potatoes in shape while frying.

And even though there are people who make pan-fried potatoes from raw I still very much prefer the version with pre-cooked potatoes. In the old days, pan-fried potatoes were a way to use up leftover jacket potatoes from the day before. So they’re very much the equivalent to Asian fried rice.

Jacket potatoes get cooked skin on. That way the nutrients and taste are better preserved during the cooking process. It also prevents the inside of your potatoes from turning watery.

It’s easiest to peel them while still warm. You can pierce them with a fork and use a sharp paring knife to remove the potato skin. It will slide easily off the flesh.

You then slice the potatoes into 1/4-inch thick slices. Wet your knife before slicing to prevent it from sticking to your potato slices. These potato slices can then be directly used for pan-frying.

Or, even better, leave them in the fridge overnight. It’s not without a reason that day-old pan-fried potatoes taste better than fresh ones. The surface of your potato slices will dry out overnight in the fridge resulting in a crispier crust.

Give your potatoes enough time in the pan to crisp up

Pan-fried potatoes need a lot of time in the pan to properly crisp up. By the time they are crispy, your aromatics will have burned. Therefore, it’s best to fry the bacon and onions beforehand and return them to the pan just before serving.

The biggest mistake inexperienced cooks make is that they overcrowd the pan. Pan-fried potatoes are really not a good dish to make if you have to feed a crowd.

The potato slices should fit into your pan in one even layer. Otherwise, they will steam rather than fry leaving you behind with a soggy mess. So if you’re cooking for more than 2-3 people make sure to fry your potatoes in batches.

I know that it can be hard to just leave things in the pan untouched. But you really need to give your potato slices time to crisp up. They shouldn’t be turned over more than 3-4 times. The more you turn them, the more they will break up.

Why smart cooks salt their potatoes at the very end

The best time to season your potatoes with salt is right at the end. When you’re about to take them out of the pan. If salting before or while frying, the salt will draw out moisture to the surface of the potato slices preventing them from crisping up. Everyone who’s experienced with deep-frying foods will know what I’m talking about.

I decided to sprinkle my pan-fried potatoes with finely minced chives. Parsley or even a little rosemary are other herbs that are very popular and go insanely well with potatoes.

These potatoes can be eaten by themselves with a sunny side egg. They’re also commonly eaten with creamed spinach on the side. But you can really eat them with whatever dish you like. There’s hardly any dish that cannot be improved with some pan-fried potatoes on the side.

I hope you’re looking forward to next weeks recipe because I’m going to introduce you to another dish that is traditionally eaten with pan-fried potatoes: sour tripe. It’s a unique Swabian dish that is very little known outside of Southern Germany and I’m very excited to share it with you.

So make sure to practice your pan-fried potato skills this week.

Pan-fried potatoes with bacon and onion (‘Bratkartoffeln’)

October 16, 2019

by Tim

Cuisine German

Category Potatoes Sides Vegetables

Persons

2

Ingredients

For the potatoes:

• 1 pound (450 g) waxy potatoes
• salt

For the aromatics:

• 1 teaspoon clarified butter
• 1/4 cup small bacon cubes
• 1 small onion, finely minced

For frying and serving:

• 1 tablespoon clarified butter
• 1/2 tablespoon butter
• black pepper, to taste
• salt, to taste
• 2 tablespoons finely minced chives

Instructions

Prepare the potatoes

• Put the unpeeled potatoes inside a large pot and cover with cold water. Season the water liberally with salt. Bring to a boil over high heat, then turn down the heat and let the potatoes simmer, covered, over low heat for about 20 minutes or until tender. To check for doneness, pierce the potatoes with a sharp paring knife. If you feel no resistance and the knife slides easily off the potato, they are done. Drain the potatoes and peel them while still warm using a sharp paring knife. Slice into 1/4-inch thick slices using a wetted paring knife.

Fry your aromatics:

• Add 1 teaspoon of clarified butter along with the bacon cubes inside a large nonstick saute pan. Heat over medium heat and fry until the bacon has rendered its fat and is becoming crispy, about 4-5 minutes. Take out the bacon and drain. Add your minced onion into the pan and sweat for 2-3 minutes until the onion mince has absorbed the bacon fat and is translucent. Set aside and wipe your pan clean.

Fry your potatoes:

• Heat one tablespoon of clarified butter over medium heat in your cleaned nonstick saute pan. Add the potato slices making sure they all have contact to the bottom of the pan. If your pan isn’t large enough to hold all the potato slices in a single layer it’s best to use two pans for this. Let the potato slices fry on the first side for 4-5 minutes leaving them untouched. Then carefully flip them over and fry on the other side for 4-5 minutes. Flip them over again and fry until the bottom is golden brown, about 2-3 minutes. In case your potatoes aren’t golden brown by that time, continue frying them while flipping them every 2-3 minutes. If they’re browning too quickly, turn down the heat to a lower setting. Once done, add half a tablespoon of butter into the pan to glaze the potato slices and season to taste with pepper and salt. Mix in the bacon cubes, minced onions, and chives. Stir well and serve immediately.

Tags

bacon,

potatoes

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