Potatoes O’Brien

Easy Potatoes O’Brien is crispy pan-fried potatoes with onions, bell peppers, and garlic, all made in one skillet with no need to boil the potatoes. This recipe is always a huge hit at any meal but especially for breakfast or brunch. I love to serve these with scrambled eggs, chicken fried steak, kielbasa sausage, sausage gravy, or a classic Denver Omelet.

These delicious breakfast potatoes are rumored to have originated in Boston and Manhattan in the early 1900s, but it is still unclear where the name O’Brien came from.

How to Make Potatoes O’Brien

Start by adding a little butter and a little oil to a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add the onions and bell pepper and cook until they are soft. Reduce the heat to low and add the garlic, cooking for 1 minute while stirring constantly. Plate the veggies and cover to keep warm.

Melt a little more butter and heat a little more oil in a skillet over medium-high heat. Add the diced potatoes and cook until golden brown, stirring several times. Add the cold water or chicken broth and quickly cover with aluminum foil. Cook until the potatoes are tender, stirring several times to keep the potatoes from over-browning. Add the cooked vegetables back to the skillet and stir to combine and warm. Season with kosher salt and fresh ground black pepper.

Helpful Recipe Tips

• While you can cube and pan-fry any type of potato, my go-to potato variety for this recipe is Yukon Golds. My second choice would be Russet potatoes, followed by red potatoes.
• For best results, cut the potatoes into 1/2-inch cubes, so they cook all the way through before over-browning.
• Use vegetable oil or olive oil, but I find that potatoes brown better in vegetable oil.
• Any color bell pepper works in this recipe; just dice them small and don’t overcook them.
• These potatoes are simply seasoned with kosher salt and fresh black pepper, but they are also delicious with fresh herbs like parsley, rosemary, thyme, Cajun seasoning, ground cayenne pepper, seasoned salt, or smoked paprika.
• For even more flavor, add crisp cooked bacon.
• Store leftovers in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 3 days. To get that crispy texture back, reheat them in a skillet.
• Because of the bell peppers, I do not recommend freezing this dish. They would become way too soft and mushy.

What to serve with Potatoes O’Brien

• Scrambled Eggs
• Creamed Chipped Beef
• Omelets
• Grilled Polska Kielbasa
• Ham and Cheese Quiche
• Fried Chicken
• Sausage Gravy
• Hamburger Gravy
• Smothered Chicken

Potatoes O'Brien

Tasty Potatoes O'Brien are skillet potatoes with flavor from onions, bell peppers, and garlic, seasoned simply with kosher salt and fresh ground black pepper.

5 from 14 votes

Print Pin Rate

Course: Side Dish

Cuisine: American

Prep Time: 15 minutes minutes

Cook Time: 30 minutes minutes

Servings: 6 servings

Calories: 209kcal

Author: Beth Pierce

Ingredients

• 2 tablespoons butter
• 2 tablespoons vegetable oil
• 1 yellow onion diced
• 1 small red bell pepper diced
• 1 small green bell pepper diced
• 1 tablespoon garlic minced
• 2 lbs. Yukon Gold Potatoes diced into ½ inch cubes
• 3 tablespoons water or chicken broth.
• Kosher salt to taste
• Fresh ground black pepper to taste

Instructions

• Melt 1 tablespoon of butter and heat 1 tablespoon of olive oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add the onions and bell pepper and cook until they are soft. Reduce the heat to low and add the garlic, cooking for 1 minute while stirring constantly. Plate the vegetables and cover them to keep them warm.
• Melt 1 tablespoon of butter and heat 1 tablespoon of olive oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat.
• Add the diced potatoes and cook until golden brown, stirring several times. Add the water or chicken broth and quickly cover with aluminum foil or a lid. Cook until the potatoes are tender, stirring several times to keep the potatoes from over-browning.
• Add the cooked vegetables back to the skillet and stir to combine and warm. Season with kosher salt and fresh ground black pepper.

Notes

• While you can cube and pan-fry any potato, my go-to potato variety for this recipe is Yukon Golds. My second choice would be Russet potatoes, followed by red potatoes.
• Cut the potatoes into 1/2-inch cubes for best results so they cook all the way through before over-browning.
• Use vegetable oil or olive oil, but I find that potatoes brown better in vegetable oil.
• Any color bell pepper works in this recipe; dice them small and don't overcook them.
• These potatoes are simply seasoned with kosher salt and fresh black pepper, but they are also delicious with fresh herbs like parsley, rosemary, thyme, Cajun seasoning, ground cayenne pepper, seasoned salt, or smoked paprika.
• Store leftovers in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 3 days. To get that crispy texture back, reheat them in a skillet.
• Because of the bell peppers, I do not recommend freezing this dish. They would become way too soft and mushy. 

Nutrition

Calories: 209kcal | Carbohydrates: 31g | Protein: 4g | Fat: 9g | Saturated Fat: 3g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 3g | Monounsaturated Fat: 2g | Trans Fat: 0.2g | Cholesterol: 10mg | Sodium: 69mg | Potassium: 748mg | Fiber: 4g | Sugar: 3g | Vitamin A: 815IU | Vitamin C: 73mg | Calcium: 30mg | Iron: 1mg

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