Name: KJs Stovetop Fried Potatoes
Prep time: 5 min
Cook time: 40 min
Total time: 45 min
Yield: 6
Cuisine: American
Ingredients: 1.5 pounds of golden potatoes; 1/4 large onion, diced; 2 cloves garlic, pressed; 3 T olive oil; 2 T butter; freshly ground pepper

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With such a simple recipe, these stovetop-fried potatoes are so tasty and will greatly complement many meals. This is our mom’s recipe, which she has made for us since we were kids. This is also a man-favorite recipe in my house. My husband loves them! When we have other family friends over, these potatoes are a crowd-pleaser. Surprisingly, my kids will also enjoy these simple potatoes with a nice helping of ketchup.

KJ’s Stovetop Fried Potato Ingredients

You likely have all of these ingredients in your pantry and refrigerator now. You will need 1.5 pounds of golden potatoes. I love cooked golden potatoes’ thin skin and consistency, but you can substitute for your favorite kind. This recipe also calls for 1/4 of a large onion, diced, 2 cloves of pressed garlic, 3 tablespoons of olive oil, 2 tablespoons butter, salt and freshly ground pepper.

How to Make these Potatoes

If you purchased a large bag of potatoes from your grocery store, you could use a kitchen scale like this one to measure 1.5 lbs. These scales are handy for many recipes, so we recommend getting one! Otherwise, just weigh individual potatoes using your grocery store produce scale.

First, start by washing and brushing the potatoes to fully clean them. If you don’t have a vegetable brush, consider adding one of these to your kitchen toolkit. (Check this vegetable brush out on Amazon)

Next, cut the potatoes into 1-inch pieces and set aside. Heat olive oil in a medium-sized sauté pan over medium heat. Place all potatoes into the pan. While the potatoes begin to cook, quickly dice up the onion and add on top of the potatoes. Next, add the butter on top of the potatoes and onions and let it melt as you stir to combine.

Potatoes cooking in the pan, with onions stirred in and pads of butter on top melting

Cook on medium to medium-low depending on your stove. My gas stove cooks rather hot if at medium I turn it down a little once it heats up, so the potatoes don’t burn. The potatoes will cook for around 40 minutes in the pan, so if they cook too hot right out of the gate, they won’t make it to the finish line without burning! And this also goes for the onions. The onions should be brown by the time the potatoes are finished and that’s one of the big flavors that make these potatoes so good, but if they cook too fast, they will also burn.

Stir the potatoes and onions in the pan every few minutes, allowing all sides to get browned. Continue to cook them like this for 30 – 35 minutes. They should start to look like the picture below. Once most sides are browned and the potatoes are mostly cooked through, peel the garlic and press 2 cloves into the pan. Stir and continue to cook for another 2 – 3 minutes. During this time, add salt and freshly ground pepper to taste.

Stovetop Fried Potatoes Serving Suggestions

If serving for dinner, I like to make these potatoes as a side for any grilled steak, such as Grilled Tri-Tip or Balsamic Grilled Flank Steak, or a favorite grilled chicken or pork recipe, such as these Honey Mustard Chicken Thighs or Citrus Rosemary Pork Tenderloin.
Any favorite veggie or salad would pair well with these potatoes and your favorite grilled protein. We love these Honey Balsamic Brussels Sprouts and this Kale Bacon Avocado Salad.
This recipe can also be used for breakfast fried potatoes if you are looking for a big breakfast or brunch side dish. Serve them with this Fresh Veggie Frittata!