Twice Sautéed, Twice Salted Crispy Potatoes
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How to make the crispiest sautéed potatoes
These sautéed potatoes have the crispiest surface and the softest center! They’re one of my favorite things to cook and eat! The reason they’re impossibly crispy and soft at the same time is because they’re first slow cooked in olive oil, kind of a confit, making the potatoes tender on the inside, and then cooked in high heat to finish up sealing that crispy outside. Each potato bite is decadent and so flavorful! Do you ever thought you’ll be talking about potatoes the same way you talk about ice cream? After you make these, you definitely will!
It was in high school when I tasted the most amazing plate of potatoes. Way better than French fries!! I was at a friend’s house and her mother made them for us as a snack. After trying them I was curious about how she got the potatoes to have that particular gooey texture. Her mother was from Spain and she told me that’s the way she cooked potatoes for Tortilla Española (Spanish tortilla), basically boiling them in olive oil on low heat. To this day, the memory of that particular taste is still in my head.
Fast forward some years after (who’s counting?), after my fair share of bland and cardboard sautéed potatoes for breakfast, I decided to build up on that technique that was the base for one of the most amazing things I ever ate. That’s how I came up with the idea of first sautéing the potatoes in low heat and then increasing the heat to make the potatoes crispy.
The steam from the potatoes and olive oil tenderizes them and makes them release their starch, so no need to add flour or cornstarch to make them crispy. This starch will then crisp up when exposed to higher heat during the second part of cooking, creating that wonderful crispy texture and deep golden color. Salting the potatoes during different stages of the cooking process also helps a lot in building up that crispiness. It’s something I talk about in Chapter 2 of The Cooking Course, “A Sea of Salts”.
You can add fresh herbs and minced red bell peppers, onions or shallots during the last couple of minutes of cooking. You want those veggies still with a bite and to not release their water because it will get the potatoes soggy. Or sprinkle some dried herb-de-Provence. But my go-to add ons are shallots, rosemary and thyme and a good sprinkle of fleur de sel at the end. So incredibly delicious!
How to make crispy sauté potatoes
This recipe is somehow like making a risotto; you need to keep an eye on the potatoes for almost the whole cooking time. But the only thing you need to do is move the potatoes around. During the first 10 minutes you can get away with moving them frequently, that means you can leave them for 40 to 60 seconds alone every couple of minutes if you need to. During the second round though, you’ll need to be more hands-on and move them almost constantly. You can still leave them alone but for less time and less occasions.
Cut the potatoes in small cubes and toss them in the skillet with the olive oil, then turn the heat on medium or level 5. Salt the potatoes with a good pinch of salt which is half of the salt the recipe is calling. Toss frequently for 10 minutes.
After those first 10 minutes you’ll see that clusters of potatoes will start to form. That’s completely normal because they are still moist and releasing lots of starch. Gently break them with the corner of your spatula. Eventually, when potatoes are almost cooked, potatoes will separate from each other.
Increase heat to medium-high or level 7-8. Sprinkle the remaining salt and now keep tossing potatoes almost constantly for another 10 minutes. Leave them still for 30 seconds every now and then to build up the crispy surface on every side.
Add anything extra during the last 2 minutes. Any herbs are completely optional, but they will enhance the build up flavor of the potatoes and olive oil together.
Serve immediately and sprinkle fleur de sel. Of course it’s optional but this particular kind of salt brings this dish to a whole new dimension. If you don’t have this on your pantry, run to get some. You’ll see how something so simple can elevate any dish so much. Check my my fleur de sel here.
Store any sautéed crispy potatoes leftovers in an airtight container in the fridge and reheat in a countertop oven at 350° for 5 to 10 minutes. Pull out the rack and let them cool down a bit there. This will help them turn crispy again.
What you’ll need
A sturdy non-stick skillet. I love my Zwilling non-stick pan.
A wooden spoon or silicon spatula.
A nice jar of herb-de-Provence. This is the exact jar of herbs I have been using for years and I love that the pieces of herbs are mostly whole and larger than other brands. The flavor is pretty strong and aromatic and you can actually taste the marjoram and thyme, plus a bit of lemon peel.
The best finishing salt of the world, French fleur de sel. Once you taste it you won’t be able to live without it!
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Every time I make these sautéed crispy potatoes everyone raves around them. I have served them with roasted chicken and seafood and fish, but my favorite way is as breakfast with a poached egg on top. These are simply amazing! I’m sure you are going to love them!
Now take a pic of your crispy sautéed potatoes and tag me in Instagram (@devamadeo), Facebook (@DevAmadeo), and now on Threads (@devamadeo).
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Sautéed Crispy Potatoes
Ingredients
◯ Russet potatoes, cubed in ½” approximately – 1 or 2 medium to large russet potatoes, about 175g to 375g
◯ Olive oil – ¼ cup, 54g
◯ Fine sea salt – ¼ Tsp, 2g, divided
Optional
◯ Finely minced shallots - about ¼ cup, 40g
◯ Finely chopped fresh rosemary - about 1 Tsp
◯ Fresh thyme leaves - about 1 Tsp
◯ Fleur de sel to serve (optional)
Details
Yield:
1 to 2 medium russet potatoes
Total and active time:
25 minutes
Cooking time:
20 minutes
Equipment:
Large non-stick skillet, wooden spoon or silicon spatula
Steps
Place the cubed potatoes in a medium to large non-stick skillet (+10”). Pour over the ¼ cup/54g of olive oil and sprinkle half of the salt (you may use a bit more if cooking two potatoes, but not more olive oil).
Turn heat on medium (level 5 in an electric stove) and cook for 10 minutes, moving frequently with a wooden spoon or silicon spatula. You may need to add an extra minute if cooking two potatoes. You should hear the potatoes starting to sizzle at the end of the 10 minutes.
Increase heat to medium high (between level 7-8 in an electric stove) and sprinkle the remaining salt. Cook for 10 to 12 minutes. This time move them around almost constantly (see notes). Stop moving only for a few seconds to allow the side of the potatoes touching the bottom of the skillet to get crispy and golden and then keep moving. Remember to gently break any big clusters of potatoes from forming. This will stop from happening after they are almost fully cooked.
During the last 2 minutes of cooking add the finely minced shallots, rosemary and the thyme leaves. Serve immediately. Sprinkle some French grey salt on top if desired.
Store any sautéed crispy potatoes leftovers in an airtight container in the fridge. Reheat in a countertop oven at 350° for 5 to 10 minutes. Pull out the rack and let them cool down a bit there. This will help them turn crispy again.
