Little cubes of seasoned crispy fried potatoes with a fluffy interior and a hint of garlic.
These sautéed potatoes take around 30 minutes, and they’re a fantastic accompaniment to that special dinner. I particularly like them with creamy dishes like steak stroganoff or chicken in creamy white wine sauce for date night.

Close up image of a pile of crispy saute potatoes in a dark bowl topped with a sprinkling of salt
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Honestly, I could eat these things like popcorn.

A big bowl of crispy sautéed potatoes with a sprinkling of Maldon salt. Now THAT is what I call a great movie snack.

Maybe a few little dips – mayo, mustard, sriracha…
I’m totally doing that.

If you did want to eat them like a normal person however, then they are really great as a side dish for steak and fish, or creamy chicken dishes too. I’ll link to some of my favourites below.

What do we need?

Ingredients for saute potatoes on a wooden table
  • Oil – go for a high smoke point, flavourless oil – such as vegetable, rapeseed (canola), avocado or sunflower oil.
  • Potatoesfloury potatoes (rather than waxy potatoes) such Maris Piper or red-skinned Rooster potatoes work best, as they fluff up more after par-boiling to give you crispier edges.

How to make these Sauteed Potatoes

Full recipe with detailed steps in the recipe card at the end of this post.

  • Place cubed potatoes in a pan of cold water, boil and simmer for 5 minutes. Drain off the water then give the pan a shake to ‘fluff-up’ the potatoes slightly.
  • Fry the potatoes in a large frying pan with hot oil, turning often until very lightly browned.
  • Sprinkle on salt and pepper, and cook again, turning often, for a further 5 minutes, until golden brown.
  • Turn off the heat, allow to cool for 30 seconds, then add the garlic to the pan. Stir together, then serve with a sprinkling of salt.
6 image collage showing how to make saute potatoes

Serving Suggestions


Crispy perfection.

saute potatoes in a dark pan with a wooden spoon

More fantastic side dishes

These are my favourite potato-based sides:

Overhead of saute potatoes in a pan

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5 from 15 votes

Sauteed Potatoes Recipe

Little cubes of seasoned crispy fried potatoes with a fluffy interior and a hint of garlic. These sautéed potatoes take around 30 minutes.
Prep Time: 10 minutes
Cook Time: 20 minutes
Total Time: 30 minutes
Servings: 3 -4 people
Course: side dish
Cuisine: British

Ingredients

  • 120 ml (1/2 cup) vegetable oil
  • 3 medium floury potatoes approx. 700g or 1.5lbs- such as Maris Piper – peeled and chopped into 1 inch chunks
  • ½ tsp salt
  • ½ tsp ground black pepper
  • 1 fat clove of garlic peeled and minced

Instructions 

  • Place the potatoes in a pan of cold water. Bring to the boil and simmer for 5 minutes.
    3 medium floury potatoes
  • Turn off the heat and drain off the water. Carefully give the pan a shake to 'fluff-up' the potatoes slightly.
  • Heat the oil over a high heat in a large frying pan.
    120 ml (1/2 cup) vegetable oil
  • Place the potatoes in the pan and cook on high, turning often until very lightly browned – this should take about 5 minutes.
  • Then sprinkle on the salt and pepper, and cook again, turning often, for a further 5 minutes, until golden brown.
    1/2 tsp salt, 1/2 tsp ground black pepper
  • Turn off the heat, allow to cool for 30 seconds, then add the garlic to the pan (adding the garlic earlier will cause it to burn, giving it a nasty acidic taste).
    1 fat clove of garlic
  • Give it a stir, to infuse the garlic flavour in the potatoes, then remove from the heat and serve.

Video

Notes

Can I make them ahead?
They taste best when cooked and eaten right away. However you can partially make them ahead. Cook them until lightly browned (the end of step 3 – before you add the seasoning). Then cool, cover and refrigerate for up to a day. Discard the oil.
When you’re ready to finish cooking them, heat up around 60ml (1/4 cup) of oil and add the potatoes back in. Continue on with the recipe from step 4.
If you want to make the whole recipe ahead – or if you have leftovers, then cool, cover and refrigerate. 
Take them out of the refrigerator about 30 minutes before you want to reheat them, to take the chill off them, then reheat in the oven at 180C/350F, on a single layer on a tray for 10 minutes. If you’re worried about them getting too brown, cover for the first 5 minutes, then remove the cover for the final 5 minutes to crisp up.
Can I freeze them?
They do taste best when eaten right away, but yes you can make them and freeze if you like.
Cook the potatoes, then cool, cover the freeze in a single layer. Defrost in the refrigerator overnight, then take out of the refrigerator about 30 minutes before you want to cook them – to take the chill off.
Reheat in the oven as per the ‘make ahead’ instructions above.
Nutritional information is approximate and is per serving.
I’ve worked this out to serve four people, with approx 3 tbsp of the oil being absorbed by the potatoes. It could be more or less depending on how much oil your potatoes absorb.

Nutrition

Calories: 220kcal | Carbohydrates: 28g | Protein: 3g | Fat: 12g | Saturated Fat: 9g | Sodium: 322mg | Fiber: 3g | Sugar: 2g

Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.

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Some of the links in this post may be affiliate links – which means if you buy the product I get a small commission (at no extra cost to you). If you do buy, then thank you! That’s what helps us to keep Kitchen Sanctuary running. The nutritional information provided is approximate and can vary depending on several factors. For more information please see our Terms & Conditions.

Welcome to Kitchen Sanctuary

Hi, I’m Nicky, bestselling author, award-winning recipe creator and food photographer. I love to cook comforting, delicious and easy recipes and share them with you.

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Comments

  1. Julie says:

    5 stars
    I have never made potatoes this way before but will be doing these again

  2. Alistair says:

    Just made your sauteed potatoes with garlic. I asked my wife waht they were like and her reply was ………..”BLOODY DELICIOUS”!!!!!!!!!!

  3. Olivia says:

    5 stars
    I love these potatoes, they’re super crispy and the garlic flavour is wonderful.

  4. Yol says:

    5 stars
    Nicky,

    You have saved me earth angel! I’ve been making sautéed potatoes never knowing what the results will be – will they be burnt, will they be partially raw, will they be pretty.

    Just tried your method I was able to do it!
    The potatoes are beyond amazing!

    Thank you!

  5. Sasha Hopkins says:

    5 stars
    This is absolutely the best ever sauté potatoes recipe and at the age of 58 I have finally cracked it! To say that my family get the love light in their eyes when I suggest making them is an understatement. Thank you xx

    1. Nicky Corbishley says:

      That love light in the eyes is always the best praise isn’t it 🙂 So happy you like the recipe Sasha.

  6. Dr. Nigel Andrews says:

    5 stars
    Simple and easy, resulting in a beautiful tasting recipe.

  7. SasMit says:

    5 stars
    At last, I’ve been able to make the perfect sautés! Thanks Nicky. I’m going to try it with frites next.

  8. Crystal says:

    Can I fry the potatoes in a deep fat fryer?

    1. Chris Corbishley says:

      Hi Crystal,

      Yes you can but they wouldn’t technically be Sauteed Potatoes if you cooked them in the deep fryer but they’d still taste great.

      Thanks

      Chris

  9. YtheWait says:

    I can’t wait to try this recipe.

  10. Allen says:

    5 stars
    Really enjoyed this recipe – I had it with the tomato soup recipe from last week. Thanks for your suggestions and videos!