We make this pan fried potatoes and onions recipe as our dinner side dish all the time. It's cheap and full of flavor, similar to our Air Fryer Potatoes and Onions but made on the stove top in a cast iron skillet.

Fried in a skillet, this simple vegetable side dish can be enjoyed with any main dish every night of the week. With russet potatoes, red, Yukon or fingerlings of your choice until crunchy or tender with a golden brown to your liking.

Now if you wanted a deep sweeter flavor you could make Caramelized Onions and then set aside to cook the taters crispy to serve together. That of course takes much longer and done the way directed below is rather quick. About 10 minutes is all you need depending on the thicknesses.

During the holidays when we have leftover meat we will make this and our Green Beans with Ham for breakfast. Another veggie is nice too if you have it but this go around we thought we should pair it down to explain how these two should be fried up together.

Pan-fried potatoes with onions and peppers, showcasing crispy edges and colorful, tender vegetables.

Ingredient notes

2-3 potatoes with the skin-on and sliced into the same thickness is ideal. We typically will use russet or red potatoes keeping in mind that the latter will take a bit longer but is worth it.

You want onion slices that are the same width so they cook evenly, same as when we make air fryer onions We like yellow or white. Red will take longer once again and will stay firmer in the end.

Minced garlic goes in everything at our house so we typically don't even measure it is so good but have a suggested amount below for you.

As for seasonings you should go with what makes you happy but what we used here included; steak seasoning, onion or garlic powder olive oil will keep them from drying out and include salt and pepper to taste. Italian seasonings work well in this dish as well. Especially if you are going with that theme for dinner with chicken parmesan or something, that would be a great choice.

What is the best oil for frying potatoes?

If you want crispy potatoes you should use an oil with a high smoke point so it doesn't burn but allows you more time to crisp in your pan. Peanut oil works well for that but will alter the flavor a bit. Five Guys uses this for their French fries!

If you are hosting a Fish Fry but want some sides to go with it you can easily use the same pan for all the things since oil is necessary for all of the ingredients.

Fried Potatoes with Onions Recipe

By Pan fried potatoes with onions and garlic is a cheap side dish you can add peppers to as well. Tender in cast iron skillet or cook to crispy. Prep: 15 minutes minsCook: 14 minutes minsServings: 4 Save Recipe Saved! Pin Recipe Comment Print Recipe

Equipment

1 skillet
1 Bowl

Ingredients

1.5 pounds red potatoesor russets, sliced
3 tbsp olive oil
1.5 tsp lawrys
1 tsp minced garlic
1 tsp salt
1/2 tsp pepper
1 small onion, sliced

Instructions

Leave skins on, rinse potatoes and remove all dirt. Cut into slices, all the same thickness. The thinner they are the crispier they will get.
Fill a bowl with cold water and submerge your slices. Cover bowl and put into fridge for 2-3 hours ideally (optional step but if you want them as crisp as possible this is what is needed)
Lay potato slices on paper towels and gently press down to remove all moisture from the outsides. This will get them crisp! Slice 1/2 an onion into slices.
Preheat skillet over medium heat and add 2 tablespoons oil. Add potatoes and drizzle remaining 1 tablespoon vegetable oil on top with garlic. Mix well to coat potatoes. Sprinkle with seasoning and mix well to coat.
Cover and continue to cook over medium heat for 7 minutes. Do not stir while covered. Remove lid and add onions, stir to mix well. Cover and continue to heat (without stirring) for an additional 7 minutes.
Remove lid and continue to cook 1-2 minutes more or until tender to your liking on inside.

Nutrition

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

Additional Info

Course: Side DishCuisine: American Tried this recipe?Mention @thetypical_mom or tag #thetypicalmom!

Other Potato and Onion Recipes You'll Love

You could in a way make this in a pressure cooker too like we did with our Diced Instant Pot Potatoes. You'd saute onions with a bit of oil, salt and pepper first. Remove and follow these directions. Then combine the two for best results. Red potatoes were used but Yukon gold or russets would work the same.

We have even sliced and used others like with our Air Fryer Fingerling Potatoes, you always need to remember that the thickness needs to be the same with every single piece. You don't want some to still be underdone while others are too soft.

In the past when we have made Slow Cooker Caramelized Onions but have leftovers we will bring those out, heat taters until halfway done and add a large scoop of these on top. They can continue warming together and the sweetness can coat the outside as they fry which creates a great duo.

Alternatively you can cook this outside too!! Use our Smoked Potatoes and Onions for those directions right beside your meat.

one of our easy Few Ingredient Recipes that can be tweaked as far as the seasonings you use. If pairing with fish add some Old Bay in there, beef goes well with steak seasoning, etc. Takes less time than Sliced Potatoes in Oven but with similar results. Jump to recipe card below and let us know what you think.

Pan Fried Potatoes with Onions Recipe in Cast Iron Skillet

Kitchen questions

Why won't our fried potatoes get crispy?

You may have skipped one of the steps. You can do it faster by skipping the soaking or drying but if you want crispy fried potatoes you need to take the time to;1. After slicing potatoes you should add into a bowl with cold water, cover and let them sit 2-3 hours.2. Remove slices from the water and lay on paper towels, press gently to absorb water from outside.3. Use peanut or olive oil for fried onions and potatoes like we show you here.