Bratkartoffeln Recipe (German Pan-Fried Potatoes)
Bratkartoffeln are German pan-fried potatoes that are crispy on the outside and addictive! I love cooking my potatoes with onion and bacon, then topping them with fresh chives.Bratkartoffeln is super popular in Germany and one of the many many ways that Germans love to eat potatoes (over 100 pounds a year per person). Germans like them as a main course or side.When making German fried potatoes as a main course, I love adding some sunny-side-up eggs on top like my Oma always did. Bratkartoffeln are also commonly served as a side with Schnitzel, Hackbraten, Frikadellen, or Currywurst.Featured in my cookbook 'German Home Kitchen'!
Servings: 4 people
Calories: 418kcal
Ingredients
- 900 grams waxy potatoes see note below on which type to use
- 4 slices thick-cut bacon
- 1 onion large
- 30 grams butter
- 30 milliliters oil
- chives for garnish, or use fresh parsley
Instructions
- Start by boiling your potatoes with the skin on until done. To boil the potatoes, first rinse them and brush off any dirt, leaving the skin on. Place them on the bottom of a large pot and fill them with water until the potatoes are just covered. Add some salt, place a lid on top, and bring them to a boil. Reduce to a simmer and let them cook until done. You can check the doneness by carefully poking them with a sharp knife. If it easily slides into the potato, they are done cooking.
- When the potatoes have cooled enough so you can handle them, peel them by pulling the skin off. It will come off super easy using a small paring knife.
- Slice the peeled potatoes into ½-inch or about 1-centimeter thick slices.
- Cut the bacon into small dice, then add it to a large skillet (don't add any oil or butter at this time). A couple of minutes into cooking, add the onion and cook until the bacon is crisp and the onion is starting to brown. Remove the bacon and onion from the pan, leaving any remaining bacon grease in the pan.If not using bacon, cook onion over medium heat in a little bit of butter, then remove from the pan and add a little more butter and oil in the next step.
- Melt the butter into some of the grease, then add the avocado oil or other high-heat cooking oil. This is to bring up the smoke point and not have your potatoes burn as easily while still giving it amazing butter and bacon flavor. Add the potatoes into your skillet next to each other, slice by slice, and season with some salt. Cook until browned on one side before flipping over and repeating the process. Cook in batches until all potato slices have been crisped and browned.
- Add the bacon and onion mixture on top and sprinkle with some sliced chives.If serving as a main dish, I like to cook some sunny side eggs to add on top and a side salad.
Notes
Best potatoes to use for Bratkartoffeln
It's hard to find the same kind of potatoes in America that you would use in Germany for Bratkartoffeln, but here are some tips on how you can come really close.
Generally speaking, you want to use waxy potatoes, which have a low starch content and keep their shape during the pan-frying.
Waxy potatoes that are ideal for German fried potatoes are Red Bliss, Red Adirondack, French fingerlings, baby potatoes, and new potatoes.
Yukon Gold potatoes work great, too. They are an all-purpose potato that tastes great while not falling apart too much.
If you're in Germany, the following types of potatoes are ideal: Cilena, Linda, Nicola, Annabelle and Belana.
Nutrition
Calories: 418kcal | Carbohydrates: 35g | Protein: 9g | Fat: 28g | Saturated Fat: 9g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 5g | Monounsaturated Fat: 12g | Trans Fat: 0.3g | Cholesterol: 40mg | Sodium: 324mg | Potassium: 1023mg | Fiber: 4g | Sugar: 4g | Vitamin A: 215IU | Vitamin C: 19mg | Calcium: 30mg | Iron: 2mg