Breakfast Potatoes

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Perfectly seasoned breakfast potatoes are the side dish your plate needs. Each bite is filled with savory flavor you’ll be craving again and again.

Do you love potatoes as much as hobbits do?

Roasted potatoes to some are just a cast-off side dish, something they put together because they needed to round out the plate.

But when cooked with the intention of love, they are transformed into bites that melt under the slightest nibble. Who doesn’t want that?

This recipe for roasted breakfast potatoes is my version of a restaurant dish I love so much. When you have a waiter groan with happiness every time they set a plate down, have to to recreate that magic at home, don’t you think?

For my version, yellow potatoes are parboiled and then tossed in bacon fat with onions and peppers, sprinkled with seasoning, and roasted to perfection in the oven.

They’re so good, you might not need anything else for breakfast!

Ingredients for breakfast potatoes

You’ll need:

Potatoes – I like to use smaller potatoes with thinner skins when roasting. 

Yukon gold potatoes are a great option, or you can use any baby or fingerling potato. 

There’s no need to peel the potatoes; just make sure they are washed.

If you choose to use russet potatoes, make sure to peel them first.

Bacon – The bacon serves two purposes here. Not only does it add a bit of meat to the dish, but we also use the resulting bacon fat to coat the vegetables for roasting.

I recommend a thick-cut bacon.

Onion – Red onion, white onion, or yellow onion are all good options. You can also use a sweet onion like Vidalia if you like, and the dish will be, well, sweeter.

Bell pepper – Any variety of bell pepper or other sweet pepper will do here.

Baking soda – Just a touch of baking soda is added to the parboil water. This helps draw out the starches in the potatoes, which in turn helps you get that deliciously crisp exterior!

Spices – For this dish I use salt, pepper, garlic powder, and smoked paprika.

Feel free to use your favorite spices. I love smoked paprika because it adds a lot of depth to the dish. It’s especially great to use if you prefer to not use bacon, as it adds the smoky flavor you’d get from the bacon.

Parsley – Adding a bit of fresh parsley at the end helps bring color and an herbal finish.

How to make this recipe

First, cut your potatoes into even-size pieces. I try to make them around 1 inch, but you can make them smaller. 

Making the potato pieces about the same size will help them cook more evenly.

Preheat the oven to 400°F. Heat a large pot with about 3 ½ quarts of water to boiling. Once boiling, add the baking soda and the potatoes, and boil for 5 minutes.

Drain the potatoes and set aside. 

Fry the bacon until crisp, keeping in mind it will cook further in the oven later. 

Remove the bacon and turn off the heat. Add the potatoes, diced onion, and diced pepper to the pan and stir to coat the vegetables in the bacon grease.

Mix together the spices and sprinkle over the vegetables, stirring to coat evenly.

Scoop the vegetables onto a rimmed baking sheet. Make sure they are in a single layer and not too crowded. More space will help the potatoes cook and get crispy.

Bake for 15 minutes, then stir the vegetables. Return the pan to the oven and cook another 10 minutes.

Meanwhile, chop the cooked bacon. Once the 10 minutes are up, add the bacon to the pan and stir. 

Return the pan to the oven again for about 5 minutes, until potatoes are tender on the inside.

Serve immediately.

Recipe suggestions

This breakfast potatoes recipe can easily be made vegan by omitting the bacon. Toss the potatoes with olive oil instead of bacon grease. You’ll need about 2 tablespoons of oil.

Make it spicy with chopped poblano peppers and ground cayenne pepper. Top with pickled jalapeños.

Or, use your favorite spice blend, such as an Indian curry blend, Chinese five spice, or burger seasoning blend.

Storage and reheating

Store any leftover potatoes in an airtight container in the refrigerator.

To reheat, warm a skillet with a small amount of oil and cook the potatoes until heated through.

You can also spread them on a baking sheet and bake in the oven for 10-15 minutes.

Breakfast potatoes can be frozen. If you’re making these ahead of time, I recommend only cooking them halfway, then flash freezing. 

To flash freeze, let come to room temperature and transfer to a lined baking sheet. Freeze for 1-2 hours, until solid, then transfer to a freezer-safe container.

Flash freezing will help prevent the pieces from sticking together, making it easier to cook later.

Cook potatoes from frozen at 400°F for 30 minutes.

What to serve with breakfast potatoes

The dish begs to be eaten straight from the pan, but hold off if you can and share as a brunch side or top with fried eggs for a breakfast for two.

It’s delicious with a cheese quiche, Denver omelet, or as part of a larger spread alongside banana muffins or buttermilk waffles. Or stuff them into a tortilla with scrambled eggs for an amazing breakfast burrito.

Don’t feel like you have to limit yourself to breakfast for these crispy potatoes! Serve them at dinner with a roast chicken or a turkey burger.

However you choose to serve them, don’t be surprised if everyone wants seconds!