How to Make Crispy Potatoes on the Stove
on May 26, 2021, Updated Jan 17, 2025
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Crispy fried potatoes in a skillet are a perfect side to just about anything, morning, noon or night.
The best crispy potatoes, sautéed in a skillet on the stovetop, are a thing of absolute beauty. These are not hash browns (which are also amazing), not home fries (again, amazing), but a simpler and cleaner type of crispy pan-fried potatoes. This is a simple side that goes with absolutely everything, a potato recipe you’ll turn to over and over again. They are completely easy to make, and these crunchy, salty potatoes can make a welcome appearance at any meal, any time of day.
Serve these as breakfast potatoes with scrambled eggs or an omelet. Toss them onto a plate for lunch with a club sandwich instead of fries or chips. Crispy potatoes can be a partner to so many entrees for dinner, from baked cod to a pan-seared ribeye steak to roast chicken. These skillet-fried potatoes can even be added to other dishes for texture and heft (below, they are being added to Turkey Picadillo). You can also sprinkle them atop casseroles.
Table of Contents
How to Make Crispy Potatoes on the Stove: Crispy sautéed potatoes are a perfect side to just about anything, morning, noon or night.
How to Make Crispy Potatoes on the Stove Top
- Prepare the potatoes: Peel (or scrub) and dice the potatoes.
- Sauté the potatoes: Heat a bit of olive oil in a hot pan. Add the potatoes in a single layer, and sauté, stirring occasionally but not too often, until they are gorgeous and crispy and golden-brown and tender. Sprinkle with a bit of salt, and, if you like, pepper as you cook them. Remove with a slotted spoon or a spatula and serve hot.
You can’t leave crispy potatoes out on the counter for long. And that’s not just because they are best hot (like, almost burn your mouth hot), but because people will eat them. Folks will walk right into your kitchen and see them on the counter and not even ask but just start picking them up with their fingers and popping them into their mouths, never once considering that perhaps you intended to serve them to others, or that they were part of dinner.
At least that’s what happens in my house.
Best Potatoes for Pan Frying
The type of potato really doesn’t matter; you can use regular old baking or russet potatoes for this recipe, waxy potatoes (yellow, white, or red potatoes), or Yukon Gold potatoes, your choice. The potato cubes should be between 1/2 inch and 3/4 inch in size.
FAQs
Not in this recipe! The potatoes are cut into small cubes or dice so they are able to cook through on the inside while getting browned and crispy on the outside, all in about 10 minutes.
Drying the potatoes is a good idea. Removing surface moisture allows the potatoes to get much crispier when sautéed in oil in the hot skillet. It also prevents the splattering that will occur if the potatoes have excess moisture. Dry them using a clean dish towel or paper towels.
For pan-frying, I don’t soak the potatoes. For deep frying, it’s a good idea (using cold water only), but for sautéeing, I think it’s not necessary, and it adds a step that no one needs! However, if you are planning to dice the potatoes ahead of time, you should keep them in a bowl of cold water in the fridge until you are ready to fry them. This will prevent them from browning. Make sure to dry them before adding them to the pan.
Variations
- Add 1/2 cup of chopped onions when you add the potatoes to the skillet.
- Use half oil and half butter instead of all oil.
- Add some seasonings while you saute the potatoes. Think about a blend of Italian spices, a bit of dried rosemary and/or thyme, onion powder, garlic powder, paprika, some chili powder and cumin, or some za’atar.
- Add a tablespoon or two of minced fresh parsley or another fresh herb to the potatoes just before serving.
- Sprinkle the roasted potatoes with gremolata before serving.
Storage
Leftover crispy potatoes can be stored in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 5 days. Reheat them in a skillet or pan over medium heat until heated through. You can also reheat them in a baking dish in a 350 degree oven for about 10 minutes. They can also be reheated in the microwave, though you will loose some of the crispiness.
What to Serve with Crispy Potatoes
More Potato Side Dish Recipes
- Perfect Roasted Potatoes
- Easy Classic Potato Salad
- Cheesy Loaded Hasselback Potatoes
- Dutch Oven Idaho Potatoes
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How to Make Crispy Potatoes on the Stove
Ingredients
- 1 tablespoon olive or vegetable oil
- 4 large baking potatoes (peeled and diced)
- Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper (to taste)
Instructions
- Pat the potatoes dry with a clean dish towel or paper towels.
- Heat a large skillet over medium-high heat (preferably cast iron or nonstick). Add the oil, then sauté the potatoes until lightly browned and cooked through, about 10 minutes. You may need to do this in batches; don’t crowd the pan. Season with salt and pepper if you like, and toss and stir frequently.
- Remove them to a plate with a slotted spoon and serve hot.
Notes
- Add 1/2 cup of chopped onions when you add the potatoes to the skillet.
- Add some seasonings while you saute the potatoes. Think about a blend of Italian spices, a bit of dried rosemary and/or thyme, onion powder, some chili powder and cumin, or some za’atar.
- Add a tablespoon or two of minced fresh parsley or another fresh herb to the potatoes just before serving.
- Sprinkle the roasted potatoes with gremolata before serving.
I cook my potatoes in a stainless steel pan (covered) on medium heat in an induction cooktop & they are always overdone or mushy & my husband won’t eat them. How can I get them crispy?
it’s the covering that’s preventing them from becoming crispy! follow this recipe, and you should have crunchy crispy potatoes!
I love your recipes they really helped me a lot thank you.much love