Fried Potatoes (How to make them and when to eat them!)

There aren’t many cultures who haven’t, at one time or another, relied upon potatoes as a staple in their diet due to their availability, adaptability, taste, and tendency to be very filling. Southerners, of course, are no different. I remember my great grandmother, Lela, telling about how she used to be picking cotton in the fields with her kids (when you were a sharecropper, the entire family had to work the fields) and they would walk back to the house at lunchtime and dig up some potatoes to go in and fry for their lunch. Its hard to hear things like that and not look at this bowl of potatoes as a connection to your ancestors, you know?
~Sigh~ I miss Lela.
Alright, moving on to the food part…

Now y’all know that when a Southerner gets a hold of a something, there’s generally gonna be some frying involved if we can help it. There is a great misconception about frying in the south though. Folks seem to think Southern Food = deep frying. That’s not the case at all. In face, much of our “frying” doesn’t even include oil. How can it be frying then? Well, its just a matter of what we call “frying” differing from what those outside of the south define frying as.

You see, to us, a skillet has always been called a “frying pan”. Therefore, when a person in the south tells you to fry something, sometimes they are just telling you what type of pan to use. A great many of our dishes such as “fried corn” have nothing to do with oil, but are just cooked in a skillet! I actually seldom use oil in my cooking, I am much more likely to use it in my baked goods, instead.

Fried potatoes are not so very different. You are really just barely coating the bottom of your pan with oil as potatoes do have a tendency to stick. Myself and absolutely everyone I know loves fried potatoes. There is no meal they can’t pop up at, either. They are just as likely to be served at breakfast in the south as they are lunch or dinner. Despite what you may think, they do NOT taste like a baked potato or even mashed potatoes. Fried potatoes are a treat unto themselves. This is the potato flavor at its finest, better than any other, honest!

Still, they do tend to be a regional thing. You’ve either heard of them and love them or are entirely confused by the very concept. Once, when Granny Jordan was visiting us (who was the epitome of everything a Southern Lady should be), we had prepared a large breakfast at my mother’s house.

Mama put a big old bowl of fried potatoes on the table and Granny Jordan leaned in and asked in her deep drawl “Well now, those look interesting! What are they?” Mama and I hid our surprise as Mama responded that they were just fried potatoes. To which Granny Jordan replied “Well now, isn’t that neat. I bet those sure will be good!”.
Born and raised in Atlanta and had never had fried potatoes?
Lets get some on y’alls table as soon as we can, alright?

All you need are potatoes, vegetable oil, salt and pepper.
(You are just going to love how wonderful these taste if you’ve never had fried potatoes before!)
Pour just enough oil into a skillet to coat the bottom of it. Turn the eye on medium to let your oil heat up for a few minutes.
Peel and chop up your potatoes. Add them to the hot skillet.
Salt and pepper them well, to taste.
When cooking you should always lean on not putting in enough rather than too much, that allows your guests to season according to their preference.
Did you know its considered very rude to salt or pepper your food before you taste it?
Interesting tidbit that you might not have known about! Its insulting to the cook. 🙂
Y’all just go for it if you’re at my house though, I don’t mind.
Cover with a lid and let them cook for about ten minutes on medium, but check on them every few minutes. Once the ones on the bottom start browning you need to stir them up from the bottom, so the ones on the top end up on the bottom and the ones on the bottom end up on top.
It sounds like I am about to start calling the hokey pokey, doesn’t it?
Growing up, we never had lids for our pots so Mama just used a Corelle plate. 🙂
After ten minutes or so, remove the lid and stir. Keep cooking until all potatoes are tender and most of them are browned, which will probably be about five to ten minutes longer.
Spoon into large bowl and dig in!!
These are great served alongside beans, hoe cake, and any type of country meat, such as Steak and Gravy!

 

 

Fried Potatoes

Everyone I know loves fried potatoes. They are just as likely to be served at breakfast in the south as they are lunch or dinner.
Prep Time: 5 minutes
Cook Time: 10 minutes
Total Time: 15 minutes
Course: Appetizer
Cuisine: American
Keyword: potatoes
Servings: 4
Calories: 312kcal

Ingredients

  • Potatoes
  • Vegetable Oil
  • Salt
  • Pepper

Instructions

  • Peel and dice potatoes into small cubes. Coat bottom of large skillet with oil, turn on medium heat and allow oil to get hot. Add potatoes. Salt and pepper to taste. Cover and continue cooking over medium heat for about ten minutes, until potatoes start to brown on the bottom. Remove lid and stir, continuing to cook until potatoes are all tender and mostly browned.

Nutrition

Calories: 312kcal
Tried this recipe?Mention @southernplate or tag #southernplate!

 


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Y’all have a wonderful day!
Gratefully,
Christy

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162 Comments

  1. Hey Christy! My Granny makes the same kind of potatoes and me and all my 5 siblings LOOOOOOOOVE her potatoes she’s 85 and when I go by to see her she makes me fried chicken strips, fried potoatoes and green beans! ^_^ I love my Granny! She’s the greatest!

  2. Hey Christy,
    I was raised on fried potatoes. Here’s a recipe my mom used to cook when we were young. Take those good ole fried potatoes with onions (or not if the kids don’t like onions) when almost done frying add cut up hot dog wieners or polish sausage. When done add some slices of Velveeta cheese and place in microwave for a minute or two til the cheese melts. Oh soooo good. We always added salt and ketchup before we ate it. We had this for lunch or supper or just anytime the kids got hungry. I also make a breakfast fried potato for the kids and cut the potatoes in thin slices and fry til brown. Tender in the middle. You can add onions and peppers if you like.
    Fried taters are the best.
    Cyn

  3. I love fried potatoes! I was raised on them, though just a little different. My mom sliced ours instead of cubing them. That made the potatoes crispier. MmmmM! That’s how I make mine today. In a cast iron skillet, of course! My DH and sons love the crispiest ones, so I have to leave them a little longer in the skillet to get nice and crispy. And yes, we have them for breakfast AND dinner.

  4. I also was born in CA, but transplanted to NC about 43 years ago. I love fried potatoes for breakfast or dinner. I like to cut them up and put them in the microwave at the “baked potato” setting to let them precook a little. Put them in a hot skillet with a little grease, let them brown, salt and pepper them. Sometimes I add a little paprika. These sure are good with a fried egg or two!!!!

    Guess what I’m having for supper tonight!!! Fried potatoes and eggs

    I ordered your cookbook and can’t wait to get it!!!!

  5. I was born and raised in Los Angeles but Mother was from the South. She was for the most part a terrible cook (thank goodness I didn’t take after her in that respect)but look out when she made fried potatoes. Absolutely the best comfort food and sooo delicious as a sandwich with Best Foods mayo and soft white bread. Gotta go I hear my potatoes calling.

  6. I’ve been cooking for 40+ years, and these are the easiest and BEST fried potatoes I’ve ever cooked. Crisp on the outside, tender on the inside — just perfect. I always thought you had to semi-cook the potatoes before frying, so this is so much faster and the texture is so much better. Thank you thank you thank you!! I am such a fan of your recipes! This New Englander is now an official lover of southern food!

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