Fried Potatoes from Boiled Potatoes
Boiled potatoes from the day before are firmer than fresh ones, and therefore superior in the pan.
- Preparation
- 10 min
- Cook/bake time
- 20 min
- Total
- 30 min
- Difficulty
- Easy
- Calories
- 571 kcal
- Servings
- 2
- Prep
- 10 min
- Cooking & baking
- 20 min
Boiled potatoes from the day before are firmer than fresh ones, and therefore superior in the pan. What looks like a makeshift solution is actually the better starting point: overnight, the starch partially crystallizes, and this is exactly what keeps the slices intact during frying. Fried potatoes made from freshly boiled potatoes will fall apart.
Why this works
During boiling, potato starch swells and binds water, making the cells plump and prone to falling apart under mechanical stress. As the potato cools, this starch rearranges and partially crystallizes, a process called retrogradation. The slices become firmer, release water, and can be fried without falling apart. This is the same process that makes fried rice possible. The second point is patience in the pan: a crust only forms if the slices lie still on the hot metal for long enough. Anyone who flips them every twenty seconds will keep tearing off the developing crust and end up with soft, greasy potatoes after twenty minutes. The onion is added late, because it would have burned long ago in those twenty minutes.
Step-by-step instructions
- 1
Cut the potatoes
Peel the cold potatoes and cut them into half-centimeter thick slices. When cold, they can be cut cleanly; when warm, the knife crushes them, and the broken pieces will turn into puree in the pan.
- 2
Fry in a single layer
Heat the clarified butter in a wide pan and place the slices in a single layer. Now do not touch them for five minutes. The crust only forms when the slice lies still on the hot metal, as every flip tears it off before it is ready.
- 3
Flip once
Flip the slices and fry them for another five minutes. If the pan is too small, work in two batches, because overlapping slices steam each other and will never brown.
- 4
Add onions and bacon
Add the onion rings, bacon, and caraway seeds and fry everything for another five minutes. The onion is deliberately added late, as it would have turned black long ago during the entire frying time. Finally, season with salt and pepper and fold in the parsley.
Our best tips
- Potatoes must be cold and from the day before. Freshly boiled ones contain too much bound water and fall apart into puree in the pan.
- Leave them for five minutes, then flip. Frequent flipping is the most common cause of fried potatoes without a crust.
- Add onions only in the last five minutes. If they are in from the beginning, they will be black before the potatoes are brown.
Tasty variations
Farmer's Breakfast
At the end, pour three beaten eggs over the finished fried potatoes and let them set over low heat. The side dish becomes a complete meal, and it only takes three more minutes.
With rosemary and garlic
Instead of caraway and bacon, fry two sprigs of rosemary and four unpeeled garlic cloves. The cloves become soft and sweet and can be squeezed over the potatoes.
Nutrition facts
| Calories | 571 kcal |
|---|---|
| Protein | 14 g |
| Carbohydrates | 50 g |
| – of which sugar | 5 g |
| Fat | 33 g |
| Fiber | 8 g |
Where the 571 kcal come from
per serving
Calculated from the ingredients – how we do it
We add up reference values for every ingredient and divide by the number of servings. These assumptions are baked in:
- Reference values per 100 g – for the raw ingredient, exactly as listed.
- Tinned goods count at drained weight, bone-in meat at purchase weight: you eat about 70 per cent of a chicken thigh and leave the rest.
- Water evaporates as you cook. The energy stays in the pot, the weight does not – so the figure is per serving, not per 100 g of finished dish.
- Anything listed without a quantity – “salt and pepper” – is not counted.
A guide value, not a lab measurement: no two onions weigh the same, and fat content varies from pack to pack.
Frequently asked questions
I do not have potatoes from the day before, does it still work?
Only with compromises. Let freshly boiled potatoes cool for at least two hours, preferably overnight. If you are in a hurry, put the boiled slices in the fridge for twenty minutes and pat them very dry in a single layer.
Which potatoes are suitable?
Waxy potatoes, because they keep their shape even after boiling. Floury potatoes fall apart even after a night in the fridge, so it is better to make potato pancakes or puree out of them the next day.
Why do my fried potatoes stick to the pan?
Too little fat, a pan that is too cold, or flipped too early. The slices release on their own as soon as the crust is fully formed. If they cannot be released with the spatula, they simply need another minute.
Comments & ratings(0)
Sign in to rate and comment on this recipe.
You might also like
DinnerWaffle Iron Potato Pancakes
Both sides at the same time, no flipping, no grease splatters, and more crust than in any pan.
BreakfastFrench Toast
Stale bread soaks up the egg mixture, while fresh bread just swims in it, which is why this recipe is perfect for leftovers.
VegetarianCrispy Zucchini Fritters
From 800 g zucchini comes a good 200 ml of water, and that is exactly the difference between crispy and mushy.