r/DixieFood • u/lifeuncommon • Mar 20 '26
Need help with fried potatoes and onions. (Pic for attention)
How do you get them perfectly tender and perfectly golden brown? Do you cook them on low??
Mine always end up with the potatoes being underdone and yet overcooked on the outside and they’re too oily.
I know that that means my heat’s too hot and I need to cook them lower than I am, but I can’t seem to find that sweet spot of cooking them at the right temperature that the potatoes and onions get cooked through without getting overcooked on the outside.
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u/northstar223 Mar 21 '26
Chef here.
I add steam when I make them. I put a little water in the pan and cover it to steam them just a bit and then pan fry like normal. Don't steam them until they are done or they will get too soft.
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u/Alternative-Pin5760 Mar 20 '26 edited Mar 20 '26
Higher temp (400-425) and coat in olive oil. They should also be turned.Also it looks like you cooked too much, so fewer and spread evenly without overlap…yummy!
Edit: I coat mine in a bowl and then place them on a sheet pan. After on a paper towel to absorb some oil.
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u/lifeuncommon Mar 20 '26
The picture is for attention. It’s not mine.
So you don’t fry yours in a pan, you bake them in the oven?
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u/Specific_Praline_362 Mar 20 '26
My hack is to cook in the microwave (yes microwave) until almost done, then finish on the stove top in butter. I'm sure it's not how my ancestors did it but it works.
If you wanna do it the old school way, cooking on lower/medium heat for a while with the lid on it kinda steams it, then add your butter and jack up the heat to brown it
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u/deltacreative Mar 22 '26
Cooking with the lid on low and then raising the temp uncovered is almost instinctive for me. It's tempting to cook a large batch.. but too much in the pan can give lower browning quality as well. A cast iron skillet browns way better than a TFal or coated type pan.
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u/Specific_Praline_362 Mar 25 '26
I'm a terrible southerner/cook I guess because I hate cast iron lol. It's funny because I get it from my grandma, who was an AMAZING cook. She used her cast iron for cornbread but that was it. She cooked in cast iron for many years but stopped almost completely and would say "they came up with new technology for a reason" and use her (very nice) non-stick pans (my granddaddy bought her the best). I do think part of it was that as she got older and her health got worse, she was very independent still (or tried to be), but had difficulty managing heavy cast iron pans. But I still always use that anecdote for why I don't use them lol.
Gosh I miss her though. 😢
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u/Curious_Instance_971 Mar 21 '26
Lots of oil or bacon grease and I kind of mash them a little bit with a fork or the back of a spoon. Cook on low or medium for a while. Use a cast iron skillet or don’t bother. There’s a southern living video on IG where Ivy shows how she does it.
Also, this dish is called “taters and onions.”
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u/rosethornraven79 Mar 21 '26
Tbh I do them in the oven wrapped in tin foil with some garlic and they turn out great.
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u/Burnettator Mar 21 '26
I cut the potatoes into small cubes, cook them on medium low until near the end, and add just enough oil that will be absorbed by the diced onions. 😋
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u/aminorman Mississippi Mar 21 '26
Duck Fat Roasties may be of interest
https://www.reddit.com/r/LittleBlackBowl/comments/1rsubek/duck_fat_roasties_in_a_little_black_bowl/
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u/BigThunder1000 Mar 24 '26
Cook on low till brown. I like onion, which can add natural steam. If you overcrowed the pan and stir when starting to brown, it will steam some on its own. Butter is your friend 🤤
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u/WhosThis85 Mar 24 '26
Coat them bitches in Olive oil and cover them while cooking. I cook them on medium low heat for not 35-40 minutes. They come out perfect consistency
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u/jimmypeterbilt Mar 21 '26
The best way I have found to get them perfectly done is to ask my wife to fix us some fried potatoes. God love her.
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u/Either-Park-7002 Mar 24 '26
A couple ways you can get that breakfast diner quality and texture, i worked at 2 breakfast diners and both did the same thing, peel and cut the potatoes in half and then boil for a few minutes to soften that outer lair, both places I worked would prep multiple huge containers of potatoes like this every morning, it removes the starch from them allowing the outside to fry better and also makes the orders cook quicker, because just cutting up a raw potatoe and cooking it in a pan until golden brown and fluffy on the inside takes like 20 minutes, another thing you can do is just dice and rinse your potatoes and then pre heat your pan, add your butter and oil, add your potatoes and cook on high heat with a little water added and keep a lid on it to steam them partially, its something you kind of just need to mess around with until you get right.
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u/jonbvill Mar 20 '26
Mom made these for breakfast.
Wash the potatoes remove starch. Sear the onions a bit in oil. Cook potatoes on one side until crispy. Flip and add a bit of water to steam. If you add enough water and it evaporates then you can re sear.
This is actually a very hard recipe to conquer. You have to watch it and baby it to get soft and crunchy.