You know those people who say they’re not big breakfast eaters? Or worse…they don’t like breakfast foods (gasp!)? Yeah, I’m not one of those people. I love breakfast and breakfast food. If I could pick one meal to eat out with friends, it would be breakfast/brunch. And my favorite, favorite breakfast food? Breakfast Potatoes. Hash browns. Whatever you want to call them, I will go out of my way to make sure I have them when I’m ordering breakfast or for special breakfasts at home (like, say, Christmas morning?).
I know this is pretty basic, but this is one of those things like scrambled eggs where it seems like it should be easy, but the potatoes just never come out quite right, you know? The key here is to not overwork the potatoes–you want to touch them as little as possible. Also, don’t be afraid of letting the potatoes get a little brown and crispy (if that’s your thing; if you prefer them cooked but not crispy, that’s cool, too).
Ingredients Needed
This is just a preview of ingredients and method, keep scrolling for full printable recipe.
- Potatoes – You’ll need about 4 medium baking potatoes (russet potatoes), but Yukon Gold or red potatoes can work, too.
- Onion – Yellow or white, just a small one.
- Salted butter – Always use real butter if you can! If you must substitute, swap it out for something with similar fat content, like a cooking oil of your choice. Lots of butter spreads/substitutes contain large amounts of water and will leave your potatoes stuck to the pan.
- Smoked paprika, kosher salt, and black pepper – This is the mix of seasonings I like. You can always use regular paprika. If you decide you’d like to add garlic, sprinkle it on at the end, as dried garlic powder is prone to burning before the potatoes are cooked.
- Tabasco sauce – I love the little kick of flavor and touch of spice that Tabasco sauce provides. You can adjust how much you use or leave it out completely if you are not a fan.
How to Make Breakfast Potatoes
- First you’ll chop your potatoes and give them a short boil to start the cooking process. They are then drained and rinsed in cold water.
- Chopped onion gets a quick saute in butter, and then those potatoes are added and cooked in a single layer.
- After a few minutes, you’ll add your seasonings and then flip as many potatoes as you can all at once. The trick here is not handling them, too much!
- They will cook on the other side, until nice and golden, and then you can add additional seasonings to taste and enjoy!
Storing and Other Tips
- These potatoes are best enjoyed freshly made. If you have leftovers, store in an airtight container in the fridge and enjoy within a few days for best results.
- Reheat in the air fryer if possible to restore crispiness.
Frequently Asked Questions
Not unless you want to! These are delicious either way.
You can, you’ll just want to reheat them in a skillet, oven, or air fryer to restore the crispiness, rather than in the microwave.
Yep. Omit them if you’d like, or replace them with shallots if you prefer a milder onion flavor.
Breakfast Potatoes
Ingredients
- 4 medium baking potatoes
- 1 small white or yellow onion minced
- ¼ cup salted butter
- 1 teaspoon smoked paprika
- freshly ground pepper to taste
- kosher salt to taste
- 10-20 shakes of Tabasco sauce
Instructions
- Bring a medium or large pot of water to a boil. While the water is heating, cut the potatoes into ¼″-½″ cubes. Add the potatoes to the boiling water and cook for about 5 minutes or until they are slightly softened but not fully cooked. Drain and rinse in cool water.
- Heat a large skillet (preferably cast iron) over medium heat. Add the butter and heat until melted and bubbly. Add the diced onion and cook for about 1 minute or until the onions are softened. Add the potatoes in a single layer. Cook for 3-4 minutes (don’t even touch them) and then sprinkle with paprika, 10 dashes of Tabasco, and a little salt and pepper. Using a spatula, scrape the bottom of the pan and flip as many potatoes as you can at once. You just want to handle the potatoes as little as possible while getting every surface of the potato a little crispy.
- When the potatoes have cooked for another 3-4 minutes, test them for doneness and seasoning; add more Tabasco, salt, and pepper to taste. Cook until desired doneness is reached, flipping them the same way as before. It’s hard to overcook these potatoes–they should be a little crispy on the outside, but not burned. Serves 4-6.
Questions & Reviews
I am 30 weeks pregnant, have been up since 3:30am with the effects of a head cold and am starving. Going straight to kitchen to make breakfast for my sweet husband, and these will be included! As always, Thank you!
You ladies are great about breaking down classic recipes. Gourmet food is a great treat, but we don’t really cook that way every night and my kids eat better with ketchup on their plates. Thanks for the recipe!
For great hashbrowns, bake the potatoes, let them cool, and then grate them. This recipe would be great for the final cooking stage to flavor and crisp them.
These are great. I made them tonight adding a little bit of cheese before serving them. My Mom makes something similar to these, and they turn out very close to one another, but she uses potatoes that are left over from having baked potatoes. She just chops up the left over ones and starts at the skillet point, it works great too.
Thanks so much for this simple post! I LOVE breakfast food(we have a big breakfast every Sunday) and hashbrowns are my absolute favourite! I never make them from scratch because I always end up messing them up! I will do them this way from now on! Thank you!
The only thing better than breakfast is breakfast for dinner which I do from time to time (tomorrow being one of those days). I’m SO adding this to the menu. :o) I never thought about boiling first and I never knew why they didn’t turn out right. Thanks for the recipe!
We put paprika in ours too! And a little cayenne instead of tabasco. I’ll have to try the tabasco. I don’t pre-boil the potatoes, instead I cook them partially in the pan, and then cover the pan on lower and they sort of steam. Then take the lid off and finish them. But pre-boiling them is a great trick too. I wonder if it’s quicker?
I love brunch/breakfast also….nothing I love more is breakfast for dinner.
I agree with the cast iron skillet method. I have always cut the potatos and then tried to cook them in their “raw” stage, but I will cook them first next time. Duh? Why didn’t I ever think of that?
we do this recipe at breakfast but with red and green peppers too! yum!!!
Thanks for posting this! I love breakfast too, and the potatoes are the best part in my opinion, but I’ve never been successful at replicating restaurant goodness. Gonna have to try this one for sure!
Wow, these bring back memories for me as a child. My dad made these for us all the time and when we visit he still does. I LOVE them with ketchup, LOVE!