Everything is better with bacon, including these stovetop American fries. A company-worthy breakfast treat in only 30 minutes all homemade from fresh ingredients.
Introduction
I love potatoes at breakfast. Truth be known... I love potatoes almost at any time.
My wife had pinned an American fries recipe. A very nice recipe, but it took almost an hour. I'm not really up to 1 hour of work in the morning. And there was no bacon. I wanted bacon.
First the name, you could call them home fries or even hash browns. As a midwesterner, I'm opting for American fries.
Loosely based on a Cooks Illustrated Home Fries but I added the bacon and changed to a stovetop. So what was that recipe about? They used baking soda when parboiling the potatoes for a minute to break up the surface some then cooked in a 500-degree oven until crispy. There were other steps, but that is the basic idea.
I wanted to add bacon and onion. But I also wanted a shorter cooking time. I already have the potatoes the boiling water, so I cooked them longer.
But if tossed in the oven, that wouldn't change the time to crispy very much. Plus, to get the bacon added in, it was getting complicated. So use a large skillet to cook the bacon and then leave some bacon fat to cook the potatoes until crispy brown.
My Rating
Maybe a little high but I love potatoes and bacon.
🥔The Potatoes
The old saying that "a potato is a potato is a potato" holds true here. Use the potatoes you have. I would prefer a thinner skin potato like a Yukon Gold so we can keep the skin.
If you decide on Russet potatoes, please peel the skin since it is thick.
When cutting up the potatoes, try to keep the size reasonably uniform in the ½ to ¾ inch size.
♨️The Method
Start with the parboiling of the potatoes. I find it very difficult to get potatoes to cook fully on the stovetop without shredding them. So I precooked them. I let them boil while I did the bacon. So multitask time and your life will be easier.
The baking soda in the water helps break down the surface of the chunks of potato and will increase the browning — this is called a Maillard reaction.
The exact time in the skillet has variables. First, the stove, medium-high varies. The pans vary. I used an All-clad that has great heat conduction. The size of the potato will vary some, and lastly, the temp of the potatoes when they hit the pan. If you hit the pan quickly, they will still be quite hot.
The patting drying of the potatoes is important, along with ruffing them up a little. It makes it easier to crisp up.
Lastly, let's be safe out there. The skillet with the bacon fat needs to cool to less than the boiling point, or you will have major splatter issues that can lead to burns or even fire. If in doubt it has cooled under 212°, then a few drops of water will tell you.
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🖼️Step-by-Step Photo Instructions
Start with getting the water boiling in a large saucepan with ½ teaspoon baking soda.
Prep about one pound potatoes. That is about 4 medium potatoes. Peeling is optional, but please peel if using Russet potatoes. Chop into ½ to ¾ inch pieces. Add to boiling water and cook for 10 minutes.
While potatoes are cooking, chop 4 strips of bacon ¾ inch pieces and cook in a 12-inch skillet over medium-high heat until crispy. Remove from heat, remove bacon and leave 2-3 tablespoons of bacon fat in the pan.
Drain potatoes in a colander. Using a clean dish towel and dry the potato some and as you do that, slightly rough up the surface of the potatoes.
The oil needs to cool a little before proceeding. It needs to be under the boiling point. A few drops of water can tell you when it is safe to proceed. Add the potatoes to the skillet in one layer and place over medium-high heat. Do not disturb for about 5 minutes until the bottom surface of the potatoes is nicely browned.
Will the potatoes are cooking, chop one small onion. Season the potatoes with 1 teaspoon seasoning salt and ½ teaspoon pepper. Now turn the potatoes, and add the onion, and mix. Flip potatoes about every 2-3 minutes until nicely brown and tender. About another 5 minutes for a total of 10 minutes. You want them crispy brown and internal temp 200°+. Near the end, add the bacon back into the mix.
📖Recipe
Bacon American Fries
Ingredients
- 1 pound potatoes - About 4 medium
- 1 onion - small
- 4 slices bacon
- ½ teaspoon baking soda
- 1 teaspoon seasoning salt
- ½ teaspoon pepper
- 2 tablespoons bacon fat
Instructions
- Start with getting the water boiling in a large saucepan with ½ teaspoon baking soda.
- Prep about one pound potatoes. That is about 4 medium potatoes. Peeling is optional, but please peel if using Russet potatoes. Chop into ½ to ¾ inch pieces. Add to boiling water and cook for 10 minutes.
- While potatoes are cooking, chop 4 strips of bacon ¾ inch pieces and cook in a 12-inch skillet over medium-high heat until crispy. Remove from heat, remove bacon and leave 2-3 tablespoons of bacon fat in the pan.
- Drain potatoes in a colander. Using a clean dish towel and dry the potato some and as you do that, slightly rough up the surface of the potatoes.
- The oil needs to cool a little before proceeding. It needs to be under the boiling point. A few drops of water can tell you when it is safe to proceed. Add the potatoes to the skillet in one layer and place over medium-high heat. Do not disturb for about 5 minutes until the bottom surface of the potatoes is nicely browned.
- Will the potatoes are cooking, chop one small onion. Season the potatoes with 1 teaspoon seasoning salt and ½ teaspoon pepper. Now turn the potatoes, and add the onion and mix.
- Flip potatoes about every 2-3 minutes until nicely brown and tender. About another 5 minutes for a total of 10 minutes. You want them crispy brown and internal temp 200°+. Near the end, add the bacon back into the mix.
My Private Notes
Recipe Notes
Pro Tips
- An easy recipe to scale to your needs.
- Use the potatoes you like but if you use Russet potatoes, please peal since the skin is thick.
- Season to your taste.
- The baking soda in the water helps break down the surface of the potatoes and increase the browning. Option if you wish.
- Use a large frying pan so you only have one layer of potatoes.
- These will store nicely refrigerated for 3-4 days. And should also freeze well for 3-4 months.
- Done potatoes have an internal temperature of 205°-210° and that is your goal along with a crispy surface.
- Covering the pan near the end will help with the internal temperature if you are having problems with getting to tender with an internal temperature of 205° to 210°.
To adjust the recipe size:
You may adjust the number of servings in this recipe card under servings. This does the math for the ingredients for you. BUT it does NOT adjust the text of the instructions. So you need to do that yourself.
Nutrition Estimate
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Editor's Note: Originally Published October 16, 2016. Updated with expanded options, refreshed photos, and a table of contents to help navigation.
Bob Pulley
Cooks Illustrated states 2 1/2 quarts (10 cups) water for their recipe. Do you use the same proportion of water and baking soda here? I only see the baking soda measurement. Thanx
bp
DrDan
Hi Bob,
The baking soda exact amount doesn’t matter much (as long as it is small). It will change the pH a little and breaks down the cell walls. Actually, I used about two qts of water. Just fill a good size saucepan with water and add a small amount of the baking soda.
CI is not the first to use this trick and most will say “a pinch” or “a little”. The CI recipe is the first place I saw an actual amount.
Dan
Chris
What is the purpose of adding baking soda to the water while boiling? That's a new technique to me and you have my curiosity up.
DrDan
It is one of those Cooks Illustrated things. It helps break down the protein and starches so the surface is rougher and will crisp better. I thought it was interesting and wanted to try it.
I believe it was successful and they crisped up better. It was a rough crisp and not that shiny smooth surface.