Southern Fried Potatoes and Onions
Crisp-edged, tender-centered skillet potatoes cooked with sweet, golden onions in bacon grease. This is a classic Southern side that comes together in one cast-iron pan in about 40 minutes.
- Prep
- 15 min
- Cook
- 30 min
- Total
- 45 min
- Makes
- About 4 cups (4 side-dish servings)
Steps
Before you start
- Use a 12-inch (30 cm) cast-iron or heavy skillet with a lid. A pan this size gives the potatoes room to brown instead of steam.
- Strain your bacon grease through a fine sieve if it has bits in it, and measure it while liquid or soft.
- Dry the sliced potatoes very well. Wet potatoes steam and stick.
- Plan on about 30 minutes at the stove, since the potatoes need little stirring but do need attention.
Prep the potatoes
- Cut the potatoes into ¼-inch (6 mm) half-moons so they cook evenly.
- Place them in a large bowl.
- Pat them very dry with a clean towel or paper towels.
- Slice the onion into ¼-inch (6 mm) half-moons and keep it separate.
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Ready when: Potato slices look dry on the surface and are a uniform thickness.
Tip: If you rinse the potatoes to remove starch, dry them thoroughly. Any leftover water makes them steam and stick.
Heat the grease
- Set a 12-inch (30 cm) skillet over medium-high heat.
- Add the bacon grease and let it heat for about 2 minutes.
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Ready when: The grease is shimmering, and a potato slice dropped in sizzles right away.
Tip: Do not let the grease smoke. If it does, lower the heat slightly.
Start the potatoes
- Add the potatoes to the hot skillet in an even layer.
- Sprinkle with ½ teaspoon of the salt.
- Cook without stirring for 5 minutes so the bottom side begins to brown.
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Ready when: Edges of the slices look golden when you lift one corner with a spatula.
Tip: Resist stirring early. Moving the potatoes too soon tears them and keeps them from crisping.
Flip and brown
- Using a wide spatula, scrape under the potatoes and turn them over in sections.
- Spread them back into an even layer.
- Cook another 5 minutes, turning once or twice, until golden in spots.
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Ready when: Most slices have golden-brown patches on both sides.
Add the onions
- Reduce the heat to medium.
- Scatter the onions over the potatoes, then add the remaining ½ teaspoon salt and the black pepper.
- Stir gently to mix.
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Ready when: Onions are mixed throughout and lightly coated in grease.
Cover and steam
- Cover the skillet with the lid and cook for 6 minutes.
- This softens the onions and steams the potatoes through.
- Stir once halfway through.
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Ready when: A potato slice slides off a fork tip with little resistance, and the onions look soft and translucent.
Tip: If the pan looks dry or things stick, add 1 teaspoon more bacon grease or a splash of water.
Uncover and crisp
- Remove the lid and raise the heat to medium-high.
- Cook for 8 to 10 minutes, stirring every 2 minutes with a spatula and scraping up browned bits, until the potatoes are crisp and deep golden and the onions are browned at the edges.
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Ready when: Potatoes are deep golden with crisp edges and fork-tender centers; onions are soft with caramelized spots.
Tip: Watch the onions near the end. They go from sweet to bitter quickly if they scorch.
Season and serve
- Taste a potato and add more salt and pepper if needed.
- Serve hot straight from the skillet.
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Ready when: Potatoes taste well seasoned and are hot throughout.
Tip: Salt right before serving, since the crisp edges taste best when seasoned at the end.
Good to know
Tips
- Do not crowd the pan. If your skillet is smaller than 12 inches, cook the potatoes in two batches.
- Even slices matter more than the exact thickness. Uniform ¼-inch (6 mm) pieces finish at the same time.
- Let the potatoes sit undisturbed at the start. The crust that forms is what keeps them from sticking later.
- Serve alongside fried eggs, pork chops, fried chicken or country ham.
Make ahead
"Slice the potatoes up to 8 hours ahead and keep them fully submerged in cold water in the fridge to prevent browning. Drain and dry them very thoroughly before frying. Slice the onions up to 1 day ahead and refrigerate in an airtight container."
Storage & reheating
"Room temperature: up to 2 hours. Fridge: airtight container up to 4 days. Freezer: not recommended, since the potatoes turn grainy. Reheat in a skillet over medium-high heat with 1 teaspoon bacon grease for 5 to 7 minutes, stirring occasionally, until hot and crisp again."
Substitutions
- bacon grease → Half butter and half neutral oil, or lard. Use 4 tablespoons total. You lose the smoky flavor, so add a pinch of smoked paprika if you like.
- russet or Yukon Gold potatoes → Red or white waxy potatoes. They hold their shape better but will brown a bit less and stay creamier inside.
- large yellow onion → Sweet onion such as Vidalia. Gives a sweeter result. Watch closely, since the extra sugar browns faster.
