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Closeup of skillet potatoes with onions
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4.92 from 12 votes

Easy Pan Fried Potatoes with Onions

These skillet pan-fried crispy potatoes with onions are easy to make and only require 3-4 ingredients (potatoes, onions, garlic, and salt). They are great as a side dish, or a hearty breakfast with eggs and bacon.
Prep Time10 minutes
Cook Time25 minutes
Total Time35 minutes
Course: Breakfast, Side
Cuisine: American, Mediterranean
Servings: 4 Servings
Calories: 19kcal
Author: Joyce Lee

Ingredients

  • oil (canola, peanut or vegetable oil)
  • 3-4 medium potatoes (diced)
  • 2-3 small onions (diced)
  • 2 cloves garlic (finely minced)
  • 1½ teaspoon salt

Optional Spices

  • 1 teaspooon paprika
  • 1 teaspoon ground cumin

Optional Adds

  • ½ cup ham (or any leftover meat) (optional)
  • black pepper (optional)

Instructions

Preparation

  • Scrub 3-4 medium potatoes clean.
    I don't peel the potatoes, but you can peel them if you like.
    Chop the potatoes into 1-inch cubes and set them aside.
    Chopped potatoes on a cutting board.
  • Peel 2-3 small onions and dice them to about 1-inch in size and set them aside
    Diced onions and finely minced garlic on a cutting board
  • Finely mince 2 cloves garlic and set it aside.
  • (Optional) If you are using leftover meats, shred or chop them into small pieces and set them aside.
    Choopped ham with green onions on the side on a cutting board

Cooking the Potatoes

  • Add about ½ inch of oil into a cast iron pan (or frying pan) and set the stove to medium heat
  • Add 1½ teaspoon salt into the oil and mix it until it has dissolved.
  • Check if the oil is hot by sticking a wooden chopstick or wooden spoon into the oil. If it bubbles around the wood, the oil is ready.
    Add in the potatoes into the hot oil and let it brown for about 5 - 10 mins (They fry up better if they aren't touched too much). You want cook them until they are golden brown.
    *Be careful when placing the potatoes in the oil, to prevent the oil from splashing, I lower the potatoes into the oil slowly with a ladle.
    Skillet potatoes being deep fried in cast iron pan
  • Once the potatoes are golden brown and have formed a hard crispy outer layer, add in the onions and let it brown as much as possible to infuse the oil with onion flavour! Cook them for about 5-10 mins
    Added onions to the skillet potatoes that are being pan fried
  • Add in the garlic and cook for 1-2 minutes
  • Drain excess oil (if there is any). I leave about 1-2 tablespoons of oil in the pan.
  • (Optional) Add in ½ cup ham (or any leftover meat)
    Skillet potatoes with onions in a cast iron pan
  • (Optional) Add 1 teaspoon ground cumin and 1 teaspooon paprika.
  • Cook until the potatoes are golden brown and onions are caramelized and brown.
  • Ta da! We're done! Best enjoyed hot.

Notes

  • Add the salt into the oil. It allows the salt to evenly coat the potatoes during the cooking process. Don't be shy in adding in more salt than normal, it brings out the flavours and you lose a lot of it in the oil during the cooking process.
  • To crisp the potatoes, don't touch them too much during the initial cooking stage. When we touch them too much we agitate the starch which doesn't allow for that crispiness to happen.
  • Add the onions after the potatoes had a chance to cook and brown up. (5-10mins) Onions cook faster than potatoes and will burn if they are put at the same time. Don't wait too long to put them in though, the secret is having the onions flavour the oil the potatoes are cooking it!
  • To give this dish something extra, I top it with a sunny-side-up egg, which transforms this into a hearty breakfast!

Nutrition

Serving: 1Serving | Calories: 19kcal | Carbohydrates: 4g | Protein: 1g | Fat: 0.2g | Saturated Fat: 0.03g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 0.04g | Monounsaturated Fat: 0.1g | Sodium: 875mg | Potassium: 72mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 2g | Vitamin A: 130IU | Vitamin C: 3mg | Calcium: 17mg | Iron: 0.5mg