Fried Potatoes and Onions
Fried Potatoes and Onions! This is quintessential comfort food, my friends. By tossing thinly sliced onions and potatoes into a skillet with lots of olive oil and cooking them in the oven until deeply golden brown and caramelized, you are left with one of the most satisfying dishes you will ever try. The best part is the oven does all of the work! That’s right—no need to fry on the stovetop. Simply combine everything in a skillet, throw into a piping hot oven, and let the heat do all of the work: one skillet, minimal effort, maximum flavor. Let’s go!
INSPIRATION FOR THESE FRIED POTATOES AND ONIONS
Truth be told, I have been eating some form of fried potatoes and onions my whole life. My father would make breakfast potatoes on the stove using potatoes and onions growing up as a kid. As an adult, I make a variation of this, cubing the potatoes or shredding them and sometimes using shallots instead of onions. But if I had to remember the inspiration for this particular technique, it would definitely come from a restaurant I went to as a kid in Foley, Alabama that is still open today: Lambert’s Cafe!
This cafe serves popular Southern-style dishes, oftentimes in a ‘pass-around’ style. In addition to throwing hot yeasted rolls to tables (yes, I am not exaggerating), servers would also come around with side dishes to serve. Fried onions and potatoes was one of those dishes. (Gosh, it’s wild to think that I even remember this as it was probably 3 decades ago.) Of course, as a vegan there is probably not one thing I can eat on the menu these days but that’s not a problem! This recipe is super easy to make at home and it tastes just like I remember.
INGREDIENTS FOR FRIED POTATOES AND ONIONS
When it comes to what onions and potatoes to use, my top picks will be a sweet or yellow onion and a large russet potato. The starchy, fluffy texture of a russet works too damn well to use any other variety. (Although, you can if you must!) As for the onions, I do like a sweeter variety for this dish. But honestly, any onion that you can get your hands on will work just fine.
OPTIONAL ADD-INS
When it comes to the seasonings, I use a base blend that I know you will have: olive oil, sea salt, black pepper, and vinegar. You can certainly stop there but I do like to add these optional add-ins for extra flavor:
Nutritional Yeast– Just a little bit of this stuff adds a nice depth of savoriness. Not necessary but boy does it work well with fried potatoes and onions!
Fresh herbs– I have made this before with a few sprigs of fresh rosemary and thyme snuggled into the potatoes and onions before placing them in the oven. It does add a wonderful background flavor—but only if you have it!
Garlic Powder– A little sprinkling of garlic powder really does make these fried potatoes and onions sing. Don’t you have some in the pantry? You do, booger.
Red Pepper Flakes– Can you blame me for wanting some heat? Didn’t think so. Sprinkle some on if you want some spice!
Chives– Although completely unnecessary, some fresh chives to garnish offer a lovely touch of freshness. Of course, scallions or even parsley would be fabulous, too.
Flaky Salt– If you are a longtime reader of the blog, you know my love for flaky salt is abundant. I really love adding some crunch to this dish right before serving and I bet you will, as well!
USING THE OVEN TO FRY THESE INGREDIENTS
Once the potatoes, onions, oil, and seasonings are added to your skillet, you are ready to fry! Now if you don’t have a skillet, you can certainly use a baking sheet but I will admit that cast-iron creates some fantastic browning. Either way, you’ll be happy. Once everything is tossed together, throw it into a hot oven. Let it roast for 20 minutes, until you see some nice browning. Then you toss and flip and continue to roast for an additional 20ish minutes, until golden and caramelized all around. And that’s it!
ENJOY THESE FRIED POTATOES AND ONIONS
If you are like me, you will eat the whole batch straight out of the skillet while your cat looks at you. But if you want to be well-mannered, you will divvy it up into pretty bowls, sprinkle over some fresh herbs, and finish it off with a little flaky salt. Then serve and enjoy!
If you do try this recipe out, please let me know in the comments below. I would love to hear from you. As always, thank you for being here and happy cooking.
-Timothy
Fried Potatoes and Onions
Ingredients
- 1 large russet potato
- 1 large onion, sweet or yellow
- 3 tablespoons olive oil, plus less or more to taste, see notes
- 1 teaspoon sea salt
- ½ teaspoon black pepper
- 1 teaspoon rice vinegar, or plain vinegar
Optional add-ins:
- Big pinch red pepper flakes
- 1 tablespoon nutritional yeast
- ½ teaspoon garlic powder
- Fresh thyme or rosemary
- Fresh chives, thinly sliced, to garnish
- Flaky salt, to garnish
Instructions
- Prepare the oven: Preheat the oven to 425°F.
- Slice and season the potatoes and onions: Cut the potato in half lengthwise and place each half cut-side down. Then slice into ¼-inch thick half moons. Do the same for the onion. Combine all of the slices to a large cast-iron skillet (or a baking sheet). Add the olive oil, salt, pepper, and vinegar. Then add any of the optional add-ins. Toss well to combine and thoroughly coat.
- Roast until golden: Pop the skillet in the oven and cook for 20 minutes. Remove from the oven and give it a good toss with a spatula. Pop it back in the oven and cook for an additional 15-25 minutes. The final potatoes should be golden and crispy around the edges and the onions should be super soft and caramelized.
- Garnish and serve: You can serve the potatoes and onions straight from the skillet or transfer them to a bowl. Either way, garnish with a few pinches of flaky salt (and chives, if using) and serve.
Does the oil go in as part of step 2? Thanks!
Hey Brian! Yes, you are correct. Thanks for pointing it out—I just updated the instructions!
Making this for tonight’s dinner. 5 stars because I know it will be delicious, since I make it many times on the stovetop then add in some scrambled eggs! Oh to die for!!!!
Let me know if it turns out great for you! I do love popping it in the oven so I am curious to hear what you think!
I already know this is a five star recipe and can not wait to try your version. So much healthier, thank you. My mother made this often except it was slathered with oil and fried. Only salt & pepper besides oregano so I want to update with rosemary while nutrional yeast fascinates me how it enhances a recipe. Thanks once again.
Hello! So happy to read this! I can’t wait for you to try it. You really can get away with doing it all in the oven with less oil and the results are still fantastic. Enjoy and thank you for being here.