Fried Potatoes and Onions (German Bratkartoffeln)

Fried Potatoes and Onions recipe

We are a potato-loving part of Europe. In Germany and the Netherlands, it’s one of the most favorite side dishes, so we have many potato recipes. And thus we eat potatoes a few times each week.

Just because we love them so much. But I don’t only cook them. No, I love some variety, like pan-frying them. Sometimes I make Hasselback potatoes, healthy French fries, or oven-baked potatoes. Today, I made this recipe for the best-fried potatoes. 

They’re called Gebakken Aardappelen in Dutch, or German Bratkartoffeln. The recipes are very similar. It is delicious and flavored with green herbs, and I love to serve it with a garlic yogurt sauce. 

And it’s a straightforward recipe to prepare. A key factor is that we use already cooked potatoes (usual leftovers from the day before). They will become soft on the inside and have a crisp exterior. And they absorb all the flavors we add to the skillet. It’s such an easy side dish. And that’s why this potato dish recipe is such a winner.

What do you need for German Bratkartoffeln?

To prepare this Fried Potatoes and Onions, you need the following ingredients. You can find the correct amounts in the recipe card at the bottom of the blog:

• Potatoes - the best potatoes to use are all-purpose or waxy potatoes. Russet potatoes, red potatoes, Doré, King Edward, Yukon gold potatoes, and Maris Piper (are great choices).
• Green herbs - Use fresh green herbs to add some extra flavor. Parsley, thyme, and chives are delicious. But you can vary with rosemary, oregano, and basil; they are delicious.
• Onion - Use shallot or sweet yellow onion and fry until it’s translucent. This will flavor the potatoes.
• Butter - Unsalted butter is used to pan fry the potatoes. It will give them a full buttery taste. You could opt for vegetable oil, peanut oil, olive oil, or a mixture of butter and oil (50: 50 %).
• Curry powder - Curry powder is a mixture of spices. Ginger, cardamom, coriander, cloves, turmeric, cumin, and pepper are the most common. It’s spicy and flavorful and is delicious to spice your German Bratkartoffeln
• Yogurt - The base for the delicious yogurt garlic sauce that you can serve with these fried potatoes. Preferably, use whole milk yogurt or Greek Yogurt.
• Garlic, paprika powder, salt, and pepper - spices to flavor your garlic yogurt sauce. Simple and very flavorful.

How do you make German Style Skillet Potatoes?

You can find a printable recipe with a step-by-step description at the bottom of this blog.

1. Start with preparing the garlic yogurt sauce by mixing the ingredients. Then, put the sauce in the refrigerator for at least an hour to marinate.
2. Cook the potatoes until they are done (about 20 minutes when starting with cold water). Or use leftover potatoes from the day before and let them cool to room temperature. Cut into cubes, wedges, or slices (whichever you prefer). Melt butter in a large frying pan (but a cast-iron skillet will do well). And bake the shallot until translucent on medium heat for about 3 minutes.
3. Add the potatoes, curry powder, salt, and pepper to the hot skillet. Bake until you’ve got crispy potatoes on the outside and still soft on the inside (in about 10 minutes). Stir occasionally.
4. Turn off the heat and add the fresh herbs to the skillet. Mix. Serve the fried potatoes and caramelized onions with the garlic yogurt sauce. It’s the perfect side dish with great flavor.