Everything is better with bacon including these stovetop bacon American fries. A company worthy breakfast treat in only 30 minutes.
I love potatoes at breakfast. Truth be known... I love potatoes almost 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.
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.
Notes on Stovetop Bacon American Fries
First the name, you could call them home fries or even hash browns. As a midwesterner, I'm opting for American fries.
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 them easier to crisp up.
Lastly, let's be safe out there. The skillet with the bacon fat needs to cool to less than 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 degrees then a few drops of water will tell you.
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Start with getting the water boiling in a large saucepan with 1/2 teaspoon baking soda.
Prep one pound potatoes. That is about 4 medium potatoes. Peeling is optional. Chop into 1/2 to 3/4 inch pieces. Add to boiling water and cook for 10 minutes.
While potatoes are cooking, chop 4 strips of bacon 3/4 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 1/2 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 degrees plus.
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Bacon American Fries
Ingredients
- 1 pound potatoes - About 4 medium
- 1 onion - small
- 4 slices bacon
- 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
- 1 teaspoon seasoning salt
- 1/2 teaspoon pepper
- 2 tablespoons bacon fat
Instructions
- Start with getting the water boiling in a large saucepan with 1/2 teaspoon baking soda.
- Prep one pound potatoes. That is about 4 medium potatoes. Peeling is optional. Chop into 1/2 to 3/4 inch pieces. Add to boiling water and cook for 10 minutes.
- While potatoes are cooking, chop 4 strips of bacon 3/4 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 1/2 teaspoon pepper. Now turn the potatoes, and add the onion and mix.
- Flip potatoes about every 2 minutes until nicely brown and tender. About another 5 minutes for a total of 10 minutes. Your time may vary.
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.