Home fries are a simple and delicious breakfast side dish. It consists of pan-fried potatoes that are perfectly crisp on the outside and creamy on the inside. Along with sauteed onions and a simple combination of seasonings.
I remember growing up every time my mother would bake some potatoes for dinner she’d pop a few extras in. Why? Well, It wasn’t so someone could have an extra baked potato with their dinner if they were feeling hungry. But rather so she could always have some precooked potatoes on hand to make home fries. Because once you have pre-cooked potatoes making home fries for breakfast couldn’t be easier.
Honestly, all you have to do is slice them up into coins, chunks, or whatever shape and size you want. And then fry them in a pan with some onions and seasoning until everything is golden brown and crispy. In total, the dish takes about 10 to 15 minutes to make. Which is perfect for when you need a quick breakfast.
Tips, Tricks & Suggestions
- What are the best potatoes to use when making home fries? Without a doubt Russets! Because they have a high starch content which will help to create a nice crispy exterior and a soft almost creamy interior. That being said if all you have is Yukon gold, or red potatoes then feel free to use them instead. They will still make great home fries!
- Do you really need to partially cook the potatoes ahead of time? Well, technically no, but I highly recommend it. Let me explain. If you don’t partially cook your potatoes you run the risk of burning the outside of the potatoes before they become fully cooked on the inside. That’s not to say that you can’t achieve golden brown exteriors and creamy interiors starting off with uncooked potatoes. But it often requires that you use a butt ton of oil to almost deep fry them. And this makes the dish unnecessarily greasy in my opinion. So please just take the time to partially cook the potatoes in advance, they will turn out so much better.
- Can I peel the potatoes? You sure can! Just do it before you partially cook your potatoes and all will be good.
- Are you making bacon with your breakfast? Then cook the bacon strips first and reserve a few tablespoons of the bacon grease to cook the home fries in it. Trust me it’s so good that way!
- Additional ingredients you can add to home fries. Once you’ve tried this base recipe I highly recommend that you try and experiment by adding different ingredients to make the dish your own. For example, you can add sliced bell peppers to make a home fry/potatoes O’Brian crossover. Or even try out different herbs and spices like cayenne pepper, parsley, and thyme.
Finish Out Your Breakfast With These Other Recipes
- Bacon Breakfast Burrito
- Bacon & Green Chili Breakfast Casserole
- Blueberry Pancakes
- Cinnamon Rolls
- Southwest Breakfast Casserole
Mom’s Home Fries Recipe
Prep time: 15 minutes
Cook time: 20 minutes
Servings: 3 to 4
Ingredients
1½ Lbs of potatoes (or roughly 2 to 3 medium-large potatoes)
1 Medium onion, thinly sliced
2 to 3 Tablespoons of neutral flavored oil (vegetable, canola, olive)
1 Teaspoon of salt, or to taste
1 Teaspoon of paprika
½ Teaspoon of black pepper, or to taste
½ Teaspoon of onion powder
½ Teaspoon of garlic powder
Instructions
- Prep the potatoes: First wash your potatoes to remove any excess dirt. Next, poke a few holes into your potatoes (about 3 to 4) with a fork.
This step is important because as the potatoes cook, their insides will steam, and if they don’t have holes to release through, they might burst.
- Partially cook your potatoes (two options): The first option is to bake your potatoes. To do this simply set your oven to 375℉/190℃ and let your potatoes bake for 45 minutes or until a fork or knife can easily pierce them. Yes, this option will take longer but can be done the night before. The second option you have is to cook them in a microwave. To do this simply place your potatoes on a plate and microwave them for 8 to 10 minutes or until a fork or knife can easily pierce them. Neither option is better than the other it all just depends on how much time you have on your hands.
- Cut your partially cooked potatoes into slices and set them aside.
- Sautee the onion: Get out a large pan or skillet and pour 2 tablespoons of oil into it. Place the pan/skillet over medium-high heat and toss in the sliced onions. Sautee the onion slices for about 3 to 4 minutes or until they begin to soften.
- Add the potatoes and season the dish: Place the sliced par-cooked potatoes over the onions in your pan/skillet. Then sprinkle the salt, paprika, pepper, onion powder, and garlic powder over the potatoes.
Use either a spatula or spoon to gently stir & toss all of the ingredients together so that the seasonings coat everything.
Let the potatoes and onions cook for roughly 1 to 2 minutes then give them another stir & toss. Keep repeating this step for another 10 to 15 minutes or until the onions and potatoes are golden brown and crispy. If at any point the potatoes begin to stick to the pan/skillet then add an additional tablespoon of oil. 
- Taste & adjust: Take the pan/skillet off the heat and taste one piece of potato to see if it needs any additional salt or pepper to your liking. You can also add additional onion powder, garlic powder, or paprika if you prefer your potatoes to be kicked up a notch.
- Serve up your home fries and enjoy!
Mom’s Home Fries Recipe
Servings: 4
Ingredients
- 1½ Lbs of potatoes or roughly 2 to 3 medium-large potatoes
- 1 Medium onion thinly sliced
- 2 to 3 Tablespoons of neutral flavored oil vegetable, canola, olive
- 1 Teaspoon of salt or to taste
- 1 Teaspoon of paprika
- ½ Teaspoon of black pepper or to taste
- ½ Teaspoon of onion powder
- ½ Teaspoon of garlic powder
Instructions
- Prep the potatoes: First wash your potatoes to remove any excess dirt. Next, poke a few holes into your potatoes (about 3 to 4) with a fork. This step is important because as the potatoes cook, their insides will steam, and if they don’t have holes to release through, they might burst.
- Partially cook your potatoes (two options): The first option is to bake your potatoes. To do this simply set your oven to 375℉/190℃ and let your potatoes bake for 45 minutes or until a fork or knife can easily pierce them. Yes, this option will take longer but can be done the night before. The second option you have is to cook them in a microwave. To do this simply place your potatoes on a plate and microwave them for 8 to 10 minutes or until a fork or knife can easily pierce them. Neither option is better than the other it all just depends on how much time you have on your hands.
- Cut your partially cooked potatoes into slices and set them aside.
- Sautee the onion: Get out a large pan or skillet and pour 2 tablespoons of oil into it. Place the pan/skillet over medium-high heat and toss in the sliced onions. Sautee the onion slices for about 3 to 4 minutes or until they begin to soften.
- Add the potatoes and season the dish: Place the sliced par-cooked potatoes over the onions in your pan/skillet. Then sprinkle the salt, paprika, pepper, onion powder, and garlic powder over the potatoes. Use either a spatula or spoon to gently stir & toss all of the ingredients together so that the seasonings coat everything. Let the potatoes and onions cook for roughly 1 to 2 minutes then give them another stir & toss. Keep repeating this step for another 10 to 15 minutes or until the onions and potatoes are golden brown and crispy. If at any point the potatoes begin to stick to the pan/skillet then add an additional tablespoon of oil.
- Taste & adjust: Take the pan/skillet off the heat and taste one piece of potato to see if it needs any additional salt or pepper to your liking. You can also add additional onion powder, garlic powder, or paprika if you prefer your potatoes to be kicked up a notch.
- Serve up your home fries and enjoy!
