My love for well made breakfast potatoes runs deep. I will always choose potatoes if given an option of what comes alongside my breakfast, and so often order a side of potatoes if they aren't included. I judge the success of a breakfast joint with a huge factor being the quality of their potatoes. It's almost as important as the rest of my meal tasting phenomenal because a great egg dish with mediocre potatoes just doesn't stand up!
Now, in my mind the perfect breakfast potatoes have two main characteristics. First, the middle of each piece should be lightly fluffy and creamy smooth. Second, the outside should be beautifully golden brown and satisfyingly crisp. The number of times I've delayed breakfast being put on the table because I'm waiting for my potatoes to crisp just a little bit more is astounding.
Crispy breakfast potatoes = pure morning heaven.
Unfortunately, making breakfast potatoes at home isn't always an easy feat. To get them perfectly creamy in the center and amazingly crispy on the outside requires many factors to come together perfectly if you're simply pan frying them. Thankfully, my sweet babes came up with this foolproof solution to making amazing breakfast potatoes at home! He sure knows the way to my heart : )
Steaming the potatoes, then rinsing them in cold water helps to give the potatoes a head start on cooking and remove some of the starch. This aids in creating potatoes that are both creamy and crispy!
And instead of keeping this awesome method to myself, I decided it would be best put to work shared with all of you! So the next time you're craving a hearty serving of creamy crispy breakfast potatoes, don't worry about putting on real clothes. Whip these bad boys up in your PJs, with a big mug of coffee next to the stove.
And of course, no breakfast potatoes are complete without a serving of some serious ketchup. You may remember this post from the fall discussing the joys of homemade ketchup, and I should probably admit that at least 75% of our ketchup stock ends up next to breakfast potatoes. Homemade ketchup will change your life, so when the tomatoes start ripening next summer, don't forget to put some up for your slow winter mornings!
We'll get together another day to discuss hashbrowns... because they deserve their own limelight!
notes: Many types of potatoes will work to make awesome breakfast potatoes, but the best will be those that have a lower starch content. Fingerlings are my absolute favorite, but most yellow potatoes will work well. Higher starch potatoes are more likely to stick to the pan.
ingredients:
low starch potatoes, cubed (see notes above)
high heat oil (bacon grease is my favorite, but any will work!)
salt
pepper
instructions:
- Place potatoes in a steamer basket over a bit of water, cover the pot, and let them steam for about 5 minutes. The actual time will depend on how thickly your potatoes are cut. You'll want to be able to pierce them with a fork, but you don't want them to be fully cooked just yet.
- Remove potatoes from steamer and rinse them well under cold water. This helps to remove some of the starch. If you can pull your steamer basket out easily, just rinse them there. If not, move them into a strainer to rinse.
- Heat a large pan over medium-high heat, and add the oil once the pan is hot. You'll want a thin layer of oil covering the bottom of the pan.
- Once the oil is hot, add the potatoes. Be sure to only add what will fit in one layer on the pan, with a bit of space for stirring. If you're cooking more potatoes than will fit - cook them in two batches or two pans.
- Season the potatoes with a hefty sprinkling of salt and pepper then cook, stirring occasionally until they are creamy in the center and browned and crispy on the outside. If the potatoes start to stick at any point, use a metal spatula to gently scrape them off of the pan. Those crispy bits will still be delicious! You can also add additional oil if needed during the cooking process - potatoes will absorb a lot of oil if given the change!