Crispy edges and creamy centers, there’s nothing quite like a skillet of Country Potatoes with Ham to kickstart your morning. But what’s the secret to getting that golden crust without sacrificing a tender interior? In this post, you’ll learn exactly which potatoes work best and the simple technique of skillet frying potatoes.
What Are Country Potatoes?
Country Potatoes are routinely served for breakfast, diced or cubed, seasoned and fried until tender inside and golden browned and crispy. A cast iron skillet, is typically used to achieve this texture. The skillet along with their rustic cut is associated with farmhouse country kitchen cooking. I’ve always added ham to my Country Potatoes, but they can be fried solo and served as a side dish for a breakfast that includes bacon and eggs.
What’s The Difference Between Country Potatoes, Home Fries and Hash Browns?
- Home Fries are basically another name for Country Potatoes. Home fries can be cubed, chunked, sliced or cut into steak-fry style potato wedges. When I was growing up, my mom always sliced and fried home fries.
- Hash Browns: Are an all American potato breakfast side-dish. Traditionally potatoes are shredded, then fried until crispy. However, hash brown can be small-diced or even formed into potato patties. Hash-browns are a very popular choice to serve along side bacon and egg, or ham and eggs,
Growing up on a farm, I know my fried potatoes as they made a daily appearance on our table. Whether for breakfast, lunch or dinner, whether it be Country Potatoes, home fries or baked potatoes, they were an easy and hearty side for any meal.
My mom made her Country Potatoes with ham, and rather than using Crisco like she did for frying sliced potatoes, she used butter to deliver even a more creamy potato.
Deliciously crisp on the outside, tender in the middle — every bite of these Country Potatoes will transport you back to Grandma’s farm house kitchen.
Let’s take a look.
Ingredients To Make Country Potatoes
- Ham Steak: Important: Make sure you purchase a ham steak that is fully cooked. If the ham steak is labeled “smoked” it is cooked. If the ham steak is uncooked, you’ll need to fry the steak separately before adding to the potatoes.
- Yukon Gold Potatoes: Yukon Gold potatoes are a great choice for frying Country Potatoes. They’re a medium starch potato, compared to a Russet potato, which means they’ll hold their shape better while frying. Save those Russet potatoes for mashed potatoes or Baked Potatoes.
- Onions: We’ll use a sweet onion during the cooking process and sliced green onion for garnish.
- Butter for frying. Salted or unsalted.
Ingredient Substitutions:
- Butter: If you’re opposed to using butter, substitute Canola or vegetable oil. Olive oil is not a good choice, as the smoking level (heat index) is not as high as vegetable or canola oil. The potatoes simply won’t crisp and brown as quickly, which will compromise the texture.
- Onion: I prefer sweet onions for almost everything I cook. You can also use yellow or white onions here.
- Ham: If you’re looking for a vegetarian breakfast, simply omit the ham. Or if you don’t eat pork, switch the ham out with cubed smoked chicken deli meat. Simply ask the deli attendant not to slice the chicken so you can cut and cube it at home.
Step by Step Instructions … It’s Easy.
- Step 1: Peel and cube potatoes. Cut the potatoes into into ¾″ cubes. For comparison, make them about twice the size as the cubed frozen hash brown potatoes you buy from the freezer section.
- Step 2: Use Butter: Heat butter over medium high heat, when melted and bubbles subside add the potatoes. Spread them out to get them as close to single layer as you can. As soon as you add the potatoes, turn the heat down to medium. Don’t stir the potatoes for five minutes to allow a good sear on the first side.
Why Wait Until Bubbles Subside When Cooking with Butter? When cooking with butter, it’s important to wait for the foaming to subside before adding food. During the melting process, bubbles appear, meaning that water is evaporating from the butter. This evaporation is necessary for butter to reach a higher cooking temperature. If you add food before the water is gone, the food will absorb the butter, rather than cook in it.
Pro Tip: To easily cut potatoes into cubes, slice off a very thin piece off each of the long side of the potato. This will make the potato straight rather than a rounded shape. Slice the potato lengthwise. Then cut those slices into planks. Then cut the planks horizontally into cubes.
For really great fried ham and potatoes I like to add onions.
- Step 3: Once the potatoes have a golden brown color on one side, use a sturdy spatula to stir and turn the potatoes around every 5 minutes. Five minutes before potatoes are done cooking, add the onions. Don’t add the onions at the beginning as they’ll burn with a 20 minute cook time.
- Step 4: Add The Ham: I like to buy Kentucky Legend ham steak to make country potatoes. This is a ham steak that is fully cooked. If you purchase a brand such as Cooks, this steak is not cooked. You’ll need a quick pan sear before adding the pieces to the potatoes. While the potatoes are cooking, slice the ham into short fat strips. Somewhat of an abbreviated batonnet cut. Add the ham to the potatoes and onions and cook for about 5 minutes, stirring often to warm the ham. Sprinkle on sliced green onions and serve.
Pro-Tip: When dicing the potatoes, place the already cubed pieces in water. This will prevent the potato from turning that odd pink color. Potatoes turn color due to a chemical reaction where enzymes are exposed to air. Pat the potatoes dry with a paper towel before cooking.
Ham and Potatoes Variations
- Looking for an O’Brien feel? Add ½ cup chopped green pepper at the same time you add the onions.
- Looking for cheesy country potatoes? Once the potatoes and ham are cooked, sprinkle on ½ cup of grated cheese of your choice. Cover with a lid for a couple of minutes to let the cheese melt. Cheddar, Monterey Jack, Pepper Jack or Muenster are all good melting cheeses.
- How about borrowing a idea from Waffle House. Drizzle with some country style gravy and serve.
- Seasoned Country Potatoes With Ham: Looking for more smoky flavor, sprinkle on a pinch of smoked paprika before serving. Try adding some garlic powder, onion powder, or both to potatoes at the beginning of the cooking process. Fresh rosemary and thyme are also good flavors for potatoes. Add a few springs at the beginning of the cooking time. Tip: Smoked paprika and thyme are a good flavor combo.
What To Serve Them With
- Eggs: Since these Country Potatoes are fried with Ham, it’s pretty much a meal on it’s own. All you need to add is eggs. Fried, scrambled or poached, you’ll have a wonderful country style breakfast.
- Toast: A breakfast wouldn’t be complete without a plate of buttered toast.
- Juice: I like to serve this with Orange Juice. But pour your favorite fruit juice as a beverage.
Tips For Success
- Non-Stick Skillet: I don’t recommend using a non-stick skillet. Most non-stick skillets are notorious for their not being able to generate high enough heat level to get a good crispy sear.
- Spatula: Use a thin sturdy metal spatula to stir the potatoes while they cook. The metal is simply a better option to get under those potatoes than a nylon or silicone spatula.
- Ultra Crispy Potatoes Without Par-boiling: Chop the potatoes small enough so they’ll achieve a crispy exterior and tender interior. ¾″ chunks are a good rule of thumb. Practice those knife skills and cut the potatoes evenly.
- Dry Potatoes: Use paper towels to pat the potatoes dry, a wet potato will not sear well.
Questions You Might Have
Yukon Gold, red skinned potatoes, white round potatoes, new potatoes and fingerling potatoes are best for pan frying. These are medium to low starch potatoes and will hold their shape well without becoming mushy. And you don’t have to peel these potatoes. The skin is tender and appealing for eating. Save those high starch, thick skinned russet potatoes for mashed potatoes.
Any heavy skillet such as a cast iron skillet will brown those country potatoes beautifully. Just make sure your skillet is large enough to hold the potatoes and the ham. A 12″ diameter skillet is a good starting size.
To save time, chop and par-boil the potatoes the night before for about 5 minutes. You want them to be just undercooked. If you cook them too long, they’ll fall apart when you start to fry them. Pat them dry with a paper towel and store them in the refrigerator in a covered container. The potatoes will cook much quicker. Reduce the fry time to about 8 minutes.
Great question. And yes. Fried potatoes and ham are a perfect way to use that left over holiday ham. No need to make any adjustments to the recipe, just cube the ham and proceed with the recipe.
Storage
- Refrigerator: Store any leftovers in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 4 days. The 50% power feature on your microwave is your best friend to re-heat leftovers. Place on a microwave safe dish and heat in 30 second increments.
- Freezer: I’m not a fan of freezing these potatoes and ham. The texture of both becomes compromised.
Recipe for Country Potatoes and Ham
I hope you give this recipe a try, it’s a great way to start the day and a very tasty one at that. Country Potatoes and Ham are a great partner for a fried egg and a tall glass of orange juice.
More Popular Breakfast Potato Recipes
And if you’re spud lovers like us, don’t miss my category for Potato Recipes. You’ll find lots of great potato side dish recipes, including the most popular on my site for Cumin Garlic Marbled Potatoes.
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Skillet Fried Country Potatoes with Ham
Ingredients
- 4 tablespoons unsalted butter
- 1 ½ pounds potatoes cut into ¾ inch diced
- 1 ½ cups sweet onion chopped, about 1 medium onion
- 1 teaspoons salt
- ½ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
- 3 tablespoons minced green onion white and green parts, for garnish – optional. About 3 green onions.
- ½ pound smoked ham slices cut in short strips
Instructions
- When using a medium starch potato like Yukon Gold or Red potatoes, you can elect to peel or not to peel. The skin of these potatoes are tender and edible. To easily cut potatoes into cubes, slice off a very thin piece off each of the long side of the potato. This will make the potato straight rather than a rounded shape. Slice the potato lengthwise. Then cut those slices into planks. Then cut the planks horizontally into cubes.
- Heat a 10 – 12 inch heavy skillet (cast iron works great here) over medium high beat. Add butter and melt the butter.
- When the bubbles from the melting butter subside, turn the heat to medium. Add the potatoes, salt, and pepper. Don't stir the potatoes for 5 minutes to allow for a sear and turn golden on the first side.
- Continue to cook the potatoes for 15 minutes, turning and stirring with a sturdy metal spatula every 5 minutes. Add the onions and cook for 5 minutes.
- Add the ham steak batons and cook for 2 – 3 minutes or until ham is heated through.
- Turn off the heat and sprinkle on the green onions. Serve immediately with a fried egg for a beautiful breakfast.
Notes
- Potato Tip: Yukon Gold, red skinned potatoes, white round potatoes, new potatoes and fingerling potatoes are best for pan frying. These are medium to low starch potatoes and will hold their shape well without becoming mushy. Save those high starch russet potatoes for mashed potatoes.
- Skillet Tip: Any heavy skillet such as a cast iron skillet will brown those country potatoes beautifully. Just make sure your skillet is large enough to hold the potatoes and the ham. A 12″ diameter skillet is a good starting size.
-
- Non-Stick Skillet: I don’t recommend using a non-stick skillet. Most non-stick skillets are notorious for their not being able to generate high enough heat level to get a good crispy sear.
-
- Spatula: Use a thin sturdy metal spatula to stir the potatoes while they cook. The metal is simply a better option to get under those potatoes than a nylon or silicone spatula.
-
- Ultra Crispy Potatoes Without Par-boiling: Chop the potatoes small enough so they’ll achieve a crispy exterior and tender interior. ¾″ chunks are a good rule of thumb. Practice those knife skills and cut the potatoes evenly.
-
- Dry Potatoes: Use paper towels to pat the potatoes dry, a wet potato will not sear well.
Nutrition
Skillet Fried Country Potatoes With Ham … It’s Whats for Breakfast
