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Crispy Garlic Butter Pan-Fried Potatoes

Few side dishes are as comforting and satisfying as a skillet full of golden, crispy potatoes. These Crispy Garlic Butter Pan-Fried Potatoes take simple ingredients and turn them into something irresistibly flavorful: crunchy edges, tender centers, fragrant garlic, and a rich buttery finish.

The secret is not complicated. The potatoes are first cooked until tender, then pan-fried until deeply golden before being finished with garlic butter and herbs. This method gives you potatoes that are crisp on the outside without sacrificing their soft, fluffy middle.

They make an excellent side dish for breakfast, lunch, or dinner and pair beautifully with eggs, roasted chicken, grilled meats, burgers, or even a simple salad.

Why You’ll Love These Potatoes

There are plenty of reasons to keep this recipe in your regular rotation:

Crispy and golden: The potatoes develop beautifully browned edges in the skillet.
Tender inside: A short pre-cooking step ensures the centers become soft.
Rich garlic butter flavor: Butter and fresh garlic create an incredibly fragrant finish.
Simple ingredients: Everything is easy to find and inexpensive.
Versatile: Add herbs, cheese, chili flakes, or your favorite seasonings.
Perfect for any meal: They work equally well for breakfast or dinner.

Ingredients You’ll Need

Potatoes

Use baby potatoes, Yukon Gold potatoes, or another waxy variety. Their texture works particularly well for pan-frying because they hold their shape while becoming tender inside.

Butter

Butter provides richness and helps create that delicious garlic-butter coating. For extra crispiness, it is combined with a little cooking oil rather than relying on butter alone.

Olive Oil or Neutral Cooking Oil

A small amount of oil raises the cooking temperature and helps prevent the butter from browning too quickly.

Fresh Garlic

Freshly minced garlic gives the dish its signature aroma and flavor. Garlic is added toward the end of cooking so it becomes fragrant without burning.

Seasonings

Keep the seasoning simple with:

Salt
Black pepper
Paprika, optional
Dried or fresh parsley
A pinch of chili flakes, optional

Ingredients

Serves: 4
Prep time: 10 minutes
Cooking time: 25–30 minutes
Total time: About 40 minutes

1 ½ pounds baby potatoes
2 tablespoons olive oil or neutral cooking oil
2 tablespoons unsalted butter
4 cloves garlic, finely minced
1 teaspoon salt, plus more to taste
½ teaspoon black pepper
½ teaspoon paprika, optional
1 tablespoon chopped fresh parsley
¼ teaspoon red pepper flakes, optional

Step-by-Step Method

Step 1: Prepare the Potatoes

Wash the potatoes thoroughly and remove any dirt. If you’re using baby potatoes, cut them in half. Larger potatoes can be cut into quarters or bite-sized pieces.

Try to keep the pieces relatively similar in size. This helps them cook evenly so you don’t end up with some pieces that are soft while others remain firm.

There’s no need to peel baby potatoes. The thin skin becomes wonderfully crisp during cooking and adds extra texture.

Step 2: Parboil the Potatoes

Place the cut potatoes in a pot and cover them with cold water. Add a generous pinch of salt.

Bring the water to a boil, then reduce the heat slightly and cook the potatoes for approximately 6–8 minutes, or until they are just beginning to become tender.

You don’t want them completely soft. A fork should be able to enter the potato with some resistance.

Drain the potatoes thoroughly.

For especially crispy potatoes, allow them to sit in the colander for a few minutes so excess moisture can evaporate. You can even gently shake the potatoes in the colander to slightly rough up their surfaces. Those tiny rough edges become wonderfully crispy in the skillet.

Step 3: Heat the Skillet

Place a large skillet over medium-high heat.

Add the olive oil and allow it to heat for a minute or two.

A large skillet is important because overcrowding the pan can cause the potatoes to steam instead of fry. If necessary, use two pans or cook the potatoes in batches.