How to Make Crispy Potatoes on the Stove
on May 26, 2021, Updated Aug 30, 2024
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Crispy skillet-sautéed potatoes 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. 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.
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How to Make Crispy Potatoes on the Stove: Crispy sautéed potatoes are a perfect side to just about anything, morning, noon or night.
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How to Make Crispy Potatoes on the Stove
- Prepare the potatoes: Peel (or scrub) and dice the potatoes. The type of potato really doesn’t matter; you can use regular old baking potatoes for this recipe or Yukon Gold potatoes, your choice.
- 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 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.
FAQs
Not in this recipe! The potatoes are cut into small 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.
- 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.
What to Serve with Crispy Potatoes
More Potato Side Dish Recipes
- Perfect Roasted Potatoes
- Easy Classic Potato Salad
- The Best Easy 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.
- 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