Our Favorite Breakfast Potatoes
Potatoes are one of our family’s most favored foods. They are inexpensive and filling; simple but incredibly satisfying. They pair well with just about everything and if we’re not eating them for supper you might see them with eggs for breakfast.
Our boys – eight and ten – feel strongly about fried potatoes for breakfast. For years I have spent those bleary eyed earliest moments of the morning chopping hard potatoes with a steaming cup of coffee by my side. Into the skillet they go with lard or coconut oil and then we wait the 30 or so minutes it takes to fully cook those beauties. They are certainly worth the effort but we’ve recently come upon a method that makes them even crispier on the outside… and easier to chop in the wee morning hours.
The solution is as simple as doubling up on the baked potatoes for supper the night before. We put a loaded sheet pan into the oven, take what is needed for supper, and place the remainders on the sheet pan back into the cool oven to store overnight. The next morning I make what Elijah calls “double fries” which isn’t accurate in the least but gets the point across – they are light and fluffy on the inside and oh-so-crisp around the edges.
I definitely recommend homegrown eggs and kraut as accompaniments, and a slice of sourdough bread for the more ravenous among you. I also recommend buying or growing organic potatoes, if you can. We usually purchase in bulk from Azure but have a few rows in the garden this spring that may or may not make it to the skillet someday.
Our Favorite Breakfast Potatoes
I’m not sure how much of a “recipe” this is so much as a technique. Feel free to add peppers, garlic, and the onions which are my personal favorite.
Ingredients
- 1/3 cup coconut oil, lard, or tallow
- 1/2 large onion, diced (optional)
- 6 medium leftover baked potatoes
- salt and pepper to taste
Directions
Heat the oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Meanwhile, chop the onion (if using) and potatoes into 1/2 – 1″ pieces. Fry the onion for several minutes before adding the potato. Stir the potatoes to coat in oil and then allow cook, undisturbed, for 3-4 minutes.
At this point the potatoes shouldn’t stick to the pan and you should be able to move them around. Once rotated, leave to cook an additional 8-10 minutes, stirring every few minutes as needed to brown evenly.
Remove from heat and season right away. Serve with your favorite breakfast accompaniments.
This is our absolute favorite way to eat them, too! So easy and delicious. As a mommy of 6 going on 7, I understand those bleary-eyed mornings of chopping potatoes and the patient waiting of children. God bless you and your family!
I love fried baked potato, but I also love to boil potatoes with the peels on them and eat with butter for dinner. I usually boil extras and the next morning, I cut in cubes and fry them in very hot oil with a little onion and bell peppers and we have them with our eggs. They also make a great stuffing for breakfast burritos.