Skillet Potatoes

4 reviews

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These skillet potatoes are the quintessential comfort food. They’re perfectly fried in cast iron and those crispy edges make them the ultimate side for all of your BBQ entrees.

Grilled potatoes in a cast iron skillet being stirred with a wooden spoon.

Skillet Potatoes

Skillet fried potatoes are the perfect way to make tantalizing tubers. Cooking them in a hot skillet ensures they get beautifully soft in the middle and crunchy on the outside. These potatoes are the ideal side for breakfast, lunch, or dinner. They go amazing with a loaded omelette, or piled high next to sizzling steak. You can’t go wrong with fried potatoes on the side.

Sliced raw potatoes on cutting board with jars of seasoning and beef tallow.

The Best Potatoes for Frying

When it comes to frying potatoes, using baby red potatoes is the way to go. Red potatoes are perfect for frying in a skillet, as they tend to be waxier than russet potatoes and hold their shape well during cooking. You won’t end up with your potatoes falling apart in your skillet, and the result will be perfectly thin, crisp potatoes that haven’t turned mushy after frying them.

I like to slice my potatoes nice and thin then fry them up in some of my beef tallow, bacon fat, or butter with my Hey Grill Hey Chicken Rub for that ultimate punch of flavor. Skillet fried potatoes don’t need a lot of fuss to get them good and tasty. Some good fat and spices are all you need to get ridiculously flavorful taters.

How to Make Potatoes in a Skillet

Congratulations. You’ve made the excellent decision to cook some potatoes in a skillet. They’re gonna be crisp and delicious, and they’ll be ready in less than 30 minutes. Here’s the rundown on how to cook fry potatoes to infuse them with tons of flavor:

  1. Preheat that skillet. I recommend using a 12″ cast iron skillet. If you try to put potatoes in a skillet that isn’t totally warmed up, they will turn starchy and will never turn golden brown and crispy. So make sure the skillet is good and hot before you toss your potatoes in.
  2. Use fat. Potatoes need fat to make them oh so delicious. I recommend using beef tallow (rendered beef fat), but if you don’t have any available, you can also use bacon fat or butter. Both give you plenty of flavor, but beef tallow takes these potatoes to a crazy new flavor level.
  3. Season liberally. Potatoes can be really bland, but they soak up seasoning well. Don’t be shy when you give those taters a good sprinkling of my Hey Grill Hey Signature Chicken Seasoning. If you don’t have any chicken seasoning on hand, try this recipe for my Homemade Veggie Seasoning. It’ll taste amazing as well.
  4. Let ’em sizzle. Do not stir your potatoes too frequently or else you will break them apart. Allow them to become golden brown on one side before you gently flip them with a wooden spatula to brown the other side.

Grilled potatoes in a cast iron skillet being stirred with a wooden spoon.

Cooking Potatoes in an Iron Skillet

These skillet potatoes can be cooked in any skillet you have available. However, the best type of skillet for these potatoes is a cast iron skillet. I like to grill them up in my 12″ cast iron skillet so there’s plenty of surface area for the potatoes.

Cast iron is heavy and thick, and as it heats, it tends to heat more evenly across the entire pan (when compared to a regular frying pan). It also retains heat extremely well. Good heat retention and a nice even heat helps you get that dark caramel golden brown color on your potatoes.

Also, when you are using a 12″ skillet you have a lot of surface area to work with. When frying or sautéing veggies, it’s important not to crowd them. If you have your veggies stacked on top of one another, they don’t cook evenly. Give your potatoes some room to give each slice access to the beef fat (or butter) and heat. A spacious pan will get you those coveted crispy edges and a nice, even bake.

Grilled potatoes in a cast iron skillet being stirred with a wooden spoon.

More Potato Recipes

Are potatoes your favorite BBQ side? Then listen up, spud lover, I have more great tasty tater recipes for you below so you can add potatoes to every meal, every day.

Skillet Potatoes Recipe

Follow this recipe and I’ll teach you the simple steps to making your own fried potatoes at home. You can find more of my smoking and grilling recipes in the Hey Grill Hey app, and how-to videos on YouTubeInstagram, and Facebook. Let’s make delicious food together.

Skillet Potatoes

By: Susie Bulloch
5 from 4 votes
My Skillet Potatoes are the quintessential comfort food. Perfectly fried and full of flavor, they're the ultimate side for any BBQ.
Prep Time10 minutes
Cook Time15 minutes
Total Time25 minutes
Servings6

Video

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Ingredients
 

Instructions
 

  • Preheat the skillet. Preheat a 12" cast iron skillet over medium-high heat.
  • Add fat and potatoes to the skillet.Melt beef tallow or butter in the bottom of the skillet and add sliced potatoes.
    2 pounds baby red potatoes, 2 Tablespoons beef tallow, bacon fat, or butter
  • Season the potatoes. Sprinkle potatoes with Chicken Seasoning and stir potatoes gently with a spatula to coat potatoes with seasoning and beef tallow.
    1 Tablespoon Hey Grill Hey Signature Chicken Seasoning
  • Cook the potatoes. Cook for 10-15 minutes, stirring gently every 2 minutes until potatoes are fork tender with crispy brown edges.
  • Serve and enjoy. Remove the skillet from the heat and allow to cool slightly. Serve warm.

Nutrition

Calories: 141kcal | Carbohydrates: 24g | Protein: 3g | Fat: 4g | Saturated Fat: 2g | Cholesterol: 10mg | Sodium: 61mg | Potassium: 688mg | Fiber: 3g | Sugar: 2g | Vitamin A: 145IU | Vitamin C: 13mg | Calcium: 22mg | Iron: 1.3mg

Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.

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About

FOUNDER/BBQ BOSS LADY

Susie is the BBQ Brain behind the Hey Grill Hey website. Her passion for smoked meats and developing fun, new recipes have landed her on the Food Network, cooking turkeys with Shaq, and on a couple of Guinness World Records. When she’s not grilling, she is hanging out with Todd and their three kids, preferably outdoors!

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Recipe Rating




Reader Reviews

11 Reviews

  1. Michael says:

    It’s a great way to prepare your potatoes with a smoked tri tip.
    Fast and tasty , ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️.

  2. Jeni Brandon says:

    I love this recipe! Made the potatoes and threw them on the Traeger to catch a little smoke while I cooked my steaks. Amazing!

  3. Jeni Brandon says:

    I love this recipe! Made the potatoes and threw it on the Traeger to catch a little smoke while I cooked my steaks. Amazing!

  4. Dave says:

    Kent Rollins taught me to rinse your potatoes till the water is clear to remove the starch it definitely helps them crisp up better

  5. Jeffrey Knight says:

    As a self-taught cook (with infinite help from videos like yours), I love your quick, easy tips. I didn’t have a cast-iron skillet, but you inspired me to buy one! These potatoes were its maiden voyage, so to speak. Excellent! Thanks!

  6. Roy Mullins says:

    The recipes are great. I don’t think a person could eat any better. Just some good old down home country cooking with a little extra. Don’t get any better. Can’t wait to get the recipe book to start trying them out. You guys have done a good job. Thanks.

  7. Justin says:

    I’ve done them in Cast iron skillets Dutch ovens but I’ve actually found a good stir fry pan work just as good and less mess
    Red potatoes r the best but onions and butter crisco
    And but them in beer first
    O and hatch roasted chills added is awesome

  8. Mike says:

    Lard works well also. Gives a wonderful flavor.

  9. Pat Hunter says:

    I make these often adding in some sliced onion and bacon. Yummy!!

  10. Sanjiv Moré says:

    OMG, these potatoes!!! Do you sell larger pants for those of us who make your recipes?

    1. Hey Grill Hey says:

      Haha no! Maybe a new idea lol!