Easy Potatoes O’Brien are 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.
These delicious breakfast potatoes are rumored to have originated in Boston and Manhattan in the early 1900s, but the origin of the name “O’Brien” remains unclear. I love to serve these with scrambled eggs, chicken fried steak, kielbasa sausage, or sausage gravy.
Ingredient Notes and Substitutions
See the complete list of ingredients below on the recipe card.
- Butter: Unsalted or salted
- Oil: vegetable, canola, or peanut oil
- Bell peppers: You can use any colored bell peppers, but traditionally, they are green and red.
- Potatoes: 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.
How to Make Potatoes O’Brien
This is the summary version; for the complete list of ingredients and instructions, see the recipe card below.
Start by adding a small amount of butter and a small amount of 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.
Preparation Tips and Storage
- For best results, cut the potatoes into 1/2-inch cubes, so they cook all the way through before over-browning.
- 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.
Frequently Asked Questions
I like them with just salt and freshly ground black pepper, but they are also delicious with fresh herbs like parsley, rosemary, thyme, Cajun seasoning, ground cayenne pepper, seasoned salt, or smoked paprika.
With bell peppers, I do not recommend freezing this dish. They would become way too soft and mushy.
As with most fried potato recipes, they are best prepared shortly before serving. You can partially cook the potatoes up to 24 hours ahead by frying them until they are lightly browned but not fully soft. Let the potatoes cool and then store them in an airtight container in the refrigerator. This will cut the cooking time in half.
More Potato Recipes
Potatoes O’Brien
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
- For best results, cut the potatoes into 1/2-inch cubes, so they cook all the way through before over-browning.
- 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.
Nutrition
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https://www.smalltownwoman.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/05/Beth-1.pdf
Fareeha Usman
I love potatoes and I love trying different recipe of potatoes. I am going to try this for dinner. Thanks for sharing potatoes O’Brien. My kids will surely like it
Lavanda
Thank you for sharing your delicious recipe for Potatoes O’Brien. As a fan of potatoes and breakfast dishes, this recipe has got me drooling.
Ned
Great recipe. I tried them this morning and they were delicious with some sunny side up eggs and bacon. I will make them again.
Oli
The addition of bell peppers and onions is perfect, and your detailed instructions and tips made it e a foolproof way to achieve crispy perfection. Thanks for the great breakfast potato recipe.
melanie
I love potato dishes. This one was absolutely delicious and easy to make in one skillet. Thansk for sharing the recipe.
Luna S
Yum! I love making this type of dish to go along with breakfast, it is so good and a great way to add extra veggies to your diet.
Rosey
I used to make something similar to this and I can’t believe I forgot about it. It’s been awhile and now I want to make it again.
May
These potatoes turned out crispy and delicious with great flavor from the bell peppers, onions, and garlic. We served them for breakfast with scrambled eggs and sausage patties. It was so yummy!
Stephanie
Yum! Crispy potatoes are the way to go! This is a great dish loaded with all the extras. My family loves this recipe.
Yonca
Oh, looks mouthwatering. As a veggie lover, a good recipe to try for me. I use olive oil. Photos are wonderful.
Beth Pierce
Thanks, Yonca!