Bratkartoffeln are pan-fried potatoes from Germany. This recipe includes bacon strips to turn it into a simple budget-friendly zero waste meal or side.
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What are Bratkartoffeln?
German pan-fried skillet potatoes are known as Bratkartoffeln. Boiled potatoes are cut into thick slices and pan-fried with butter and bacon fats until crisp.
This is a very common dish in German-speaking areas, including Southern Germany, western Austria and parts of Switzerland.
It's a budget dinner, and it was very common, especially during the war years but also much before that already.
Farmer's in the region would prepare it and the skillet would be placed in the center of the table. The family members would then eat out of the pan with their spoons. This was still common place until the 80s.
Braten in German means to fry, and Kartofffeln is one of the words for potatoes.
This dish has many names, depending on whom you ask. Some areas call them gebratene Erdäpfel.
Back at home in Tyrol, a variation thereof, is our Tyrolean Gröstl with comes with a fried egg, and occasionally, it's also topped with alpine cheese.
Ingredients
Bratkartoffeln are prepared mainly with boiled leftover potatoes. We prepare many potato meals, and boiling some extra potatoes is common place in every household.
Therefore, I recommend preparing this dish when you have boiled potatoes that need to be used up.
- Potato — Hard waxy potatoes are better than soft mash potato types because they won't fall apart that easily when you fry them. That said, back in the day people would use whichever potato type they have.
- Onion — White or yellow onion preferred. Red or purple is ok too, but not that commonly used in the traditional version.
- Garlic Cloves — fresh, chopped
- Bacon
- Butter
- Salt & Black Pepper
- Parsley — Fresh Italian or curly parsley. We tend to use curly parsley in Germany and Austria because it's more common.
How to make it?
Step 1
If you don't have boiled potatoes, boil a batch. Peel potatoes. Cut the potatoes into thick slices.
Keep sliced onion and chopped garlic ready too.
Step 2
Sauté onion, bacon, and garlic.
Step 3
Stir in potatoes slices. Cook on all sides crispy.
Garnish with parsley.
📖 Recipe
Bratkartoffeln: German Fries with Bacon
Ingredients
- 1 Pound Potato
- 1 Onion sliced
- 2 Pieces Garlic Cloves fresh, chopped
- 4 Slices Bacon sliced
- 2 Tablespoons Butter
- Pinch Salt to taste
- Pinch Black Pepper Ground to taste
- Parsley Fresh
Instructions
- I recommend using boiled leftover potatoes if possible. If you don't have that, boil a batch of potatoes. Peel your potatoes.1 Pound Potato
- Cut your potatoes into thick slices. We need thick slices to fry them, or it will get messy.
- Slice onion, chop garlic, cut bacon slices into small pieces (or use small bacon pieces).1 Onion, 2 Pieces Garlic Cloves, 4 Slices Bacon
- Keep your skillet over a medium heat setting and melt your butter.2 Tablespoons Butter
- Stir in the onion slices and sauté them soft.
- Continue to add in the bacon slices and cook over a medium heat setting until they change color, and they look semi-done.
- Stir and mix in garlic. Then season with salt and black pepper and stir, cook for a minute.Pinch Salt, Pinch Black Pepper Ground
- Place in the potato slices. Arrange them in the pan so that they all fit.
- Cook the potatoes on all sides on medium heat until crisp and done. This can take a while and the longer you fry them, the crispier they turn out.
- Garnish your Bratkartoffel with fresh parsley and serve warm on its own or as a side dish with Schnitzel and Sauerbraten.Parsley Fresh
Notes
Equipment
- 8" Chef Knife
Nutrition
Serving
Traditionally, we prepare this dish at least once a week in our homes back in Europe (I'm from Austria).
We serve a small side dish salad with that, and we like to add fried eggs. That's then served as a meal.
Some 4-star hotels in the alps like to add this dish to their afternoon snack time buffet meals.
Bratkartoffeln can be prepared without the addition of bacon. That way you can serve your vegetarian German fries as a side with other meals such as a Schnitzel.
I always add onions and bacon to my quick-fried potatoes because it tastes better. You can also sprinkle some grated cheese over the German potato fries.
If you want a Vegan Bratkartoffeln, then just switch the butter with vegetable oil or olive oil.
Another idea is to add fresh herbs such as parsley to top off your potato fries. A similar, and popular side dish in Austria, are the parsley butter potatoes.
Storing
You can store leftover for a few days at most in your fridge. I keep them in a glass container, which can be used and placed into the over to reheat whenever needed.
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