Perfectly Crispy Breakfast Potatoes

Why Your Mornings Will Be Even Better With These Crispy Potatoes on Your Plate

Sometimes you wake up and you’re raring to go. And other times, you just need the promise of crispy breakfast potatoes to get you out of bed, you know what I mean? Here’s what makes these potatoes the best!

• The perfect seasoning blend. Potatoes are starchy and mild in flavour, so to bring out their best, you’ve got to jazz them up. So I add a blend of seasonings that’s smoky, deeply savoury, and a little bit herbaceous. It makes these breakfast potatoes DELICIOUS!
• Crispy, not soggy. You ever make breakfast potatoes or Hash Browns and they end up soggy and mushy? Yeah, me too. But since then, I’ve learned the secret to making sure skillet potatoes turn out crispy and brown!
• Cooked ALL the way through. The other problem I’ve found with cooking potatoes in a skillet is that it can be hard to get them tender on the inside. I’ve got a trick to prevent this from happening too, so your potatoes are fluffy and tender in the middle, crispy on the outside. Perfection!

Notes on Ingredients

Most of what you need for this recipe is in your spice cabinet! Scroll down to the recipe card to find the ingredient quantities and recipe instructions.

• Olive oil – Or another oil you like to use for cooking.
• Potatoes – I use Yukon gold or red potatoes, which have lower starch content than russet potatoes.
• Seasonings – Smoked paprika, garlic powder, onion powder, dried thyme, salt, and pepper.
• Parsley – Optional, for garnish. I like using Italian parsley, which has more flavor than curly parsley.

How to Make Skillet Breakfast Potatoes

Get ready for the best breakfast potatoes you’ve ever had! Here’s what you’ll need to do.

• Parboil the potatoes. Place the potatoes in a pot with cold water and salt. Bring to a boil and cook for 5 to 6 minutes, then drain. Put the drained potatoes back in the pot; the hot pot will dry the potatoes a bit.
• Heat the skillet. Set a large nonstick or well-seasoned cast iron skillet over medium heat. Once it’s hot, add the olive oil.
• Add the potatoes. Place the potatoes in the skillet in an even layer. Do NOT disturb them; just let them cook for 5 to 7 minutes without stirring or flipping.

• Flip. Once the potatoes are browned on the bottom, sprinkle the seasonings over the top. Toss to coat and cook for 10 to 15 minutes more, or until they’re uniformly crispy and brown.
• Serve. Season to taste. Garnish with parsley and serve.

Tips for Making Your Potatoes Ultra-Crispy (But Tender Inside!)

As promised, here are my secrets for making the best breakfast potatoes.

• Don’t skip the parboiling. It’s an optional step, but if you love your potatoes fluffy and soft inside, it’s totally worth it. Just make sure you add the potatoes back to the pot so the excess water can cook off; if the potatoes are dry when you add them to the oil, they’ll crisp up better.
• Make sure the skillet is hot. The number one culprit when skillet potatoes end up soggy is a pan that’s not sufficiently heated. When the pan isn’t hot enough, the potatoes absorb the oil, which makes them mushy. With a blazing hot pan, the potatoes are instantly seared when you add them, which creates a barrier that keeps them from absorbing more oil. 
• Do not disturb. Although it’s tempting to stir or lift the potatoes to check the bottoms, leaving them undisturbed helps them get crispy and also keeps them from sticking to the pan.
• Use the right pan. A well-seasoned cast iron skillet is ideal, but if you don’t have one, use a nonstick skillet. 

Variations

Here are a few ways you can switch up this recipe.

• Change the seasonings. You can use any you like! Cajun seasoning, Old Bay, and even seasoning salt works well.
• Use sweet potatoes. They don’t get quite as crisp as regular potatoes, but oh, they are delicious! You can also use half sweet potatoes and half Yukon gold or red.
• Make it a breakfast potato hash. Crumble your favourite vegan breakfast sausage into the pan near the end of the cooking time.

Serving Suggestions

I like to serve breakfast potatoes with a savoury pairing like my Southwestern Tofu Scramble, Tofu Bacon, or Vegan Quiche. Of course, they’re also great to balance sweet breakfast foods like Vegan Waffles and Banana Pancakes.

How to Store and Reheat

• Refrigerator: Transfer leftovers to an airtight container and refrigerate for up to 4 days.
• Freezer: Freeze breakfast potatoes in an airtight container or freezer bag for up to 3 months. Note that sometimes potatoes can become mealy when frozen, but if you parboil your breakfast potatoes as described above, they should freeze well. Thaw in the refrigerator before reheating.
• To reheat: Warm leftovers in a skillet with oil set over medium-high heat. The microwave also works, but they won’t be as crispy.

More Vegan Ways to Make Potatoes

• Mashed Potato Casserole
• Loaded Potato Skins
• Duchess Potatoes
• Parmesan Crusted Potatoes