Smothered Potatoes are delicious, comforting, and oh-so-easy to make. Sliced potatoes are cooked in a creamy sauce, then garnished with fresh herbs to create a hearty side dish!
Smothered Potatoes: Comfort Food at its Finest
I’ve never met a potato I didn’t like. Roasted red potatoes with chipotle spices, cottage fries, stuffed sweet potatoes, and this fingerling potato medley with onions and peppers are just a few of my favorites. You also can’t forget about the ultimate classic: French fries. No matter which way you look at it, potatoes are a staple in my diet. And I think most of you feel the same!
That’s why I wanted to introduce another spud-centric dish: my smothered potatoes recipe. They’re comforting, creamy, hearty, and flavorful — they really check all the boxes for me! It’s a really easy recipe to pull off yourself at home, too. It’s a wonderful side dish option for when you’re sick of the same old baked or mashed potatoes recipe.
Also called Southern smothered potatoes (it’s a staple in the South!), all you’ll need are a handful of easy-to-find ingredients and about 35 minutes. You’ll be serving up this yummy side dish before you know it!
Why you will love this recipe
- Delicious and comforting
- Made with simple ingredients
- The perfect side dish option
- Family-friendly
How to make perfect Smothered Potatoes
Prepare the potatoes. Peel and rinse the potatoes, then chop them into â…™ inch-thick slices. Add them to a large bowl with the chopped yellow onion.
Add the spices. Place the minced garlic, paprika, ground pepper, and salt in the bowl and stir to mix.
Heat the skillet. Add the butter to a large cast iron skillet (a thick-bottomed iron skillet works too) and heat over medium.
Sauté the potatoes. Add the potato, onion, and seasonings mixture to the skillet and allow them to cook for 10-12 minutes. Be sure to flip them occasionally so that they don’t burn.
Add the liquids. When the potatoes turn golden brown on all sides, gently pour in the chicken broth and heavy cream. Cover the skillet with a lid and allow the mixture to simmer until the potatoes become tender, or about 10-12 more minutes.
If you don’t want the potatoes to be too creamy, you can remove the lid and continue cooking for 2-3 additional minutes until the liquid evaporates.
Garnish and serve. Garnish with fresh parsley and serve!
Pro Tips
- Be careful not to overcook the potatoes. They will get very mushy and lose their texture. Prevent this by checking them often and by removing them from the heat as soon as they’re tender.
- Sauce too thick? Thin it out by incorporating more chicken broth 1 tablespoon at a time.
- Add more flavor. Fresh parsley works great as a garnish on its own, but you can also add chives!
- Leftovers will keep for up to 4 days when properly stored in an airtight container in the fridge.
- You can reheat any leftovers in the microwave or on your stovetop. I suggest adding a bit of liquid like broth or milk to help bring them back to life. That said, my smothered potatoes recipe is best enjoyed fresh!
Key Ingredients and Substitutions for Smothered Potatoes
Potatoes: I’m using Yukon Gold potatoes for this recipe, but you can also use white, red, or russet instead. My advice? Use what you have on hand! It means one less trip to the grocery store, which I’m all for.
Chicken broth: You can also use vegetable broth here if you want to make this dish vegetarian.
Spices and seasonings: A mixture of salt, black pepper, and paprika tastes great on smothered potatoes, but you can also feel free to switch things up! I recommend adding a bit of cayenne pepper if you like spicy foods.
Frequently asked Questions about this Smothered Potatoes Recipe
Do I have to pre-cook the potatoes?
Nope! No parboiling is necessary for this recipe. Because you’re slicing the potatoes thinly, they’ll cook up just fine in the skillet.
How to make crispy potatoes?
The key is in sautéing them a bit on their own before you add any liquids to the mix. This will help them crisp up a bit before you incorporate the broth and heavy cream. Some chefs also recommend parboiling potatoes before adding them to a skillet, but I find that step unnecessary for my smothered potatoes recipe.
Does coating potatoes in flour make them crispy?
Another tip that many chefs swear by is adding flour to potatoes before frying them. Again, you could do this if desired, but it’s not super important for this recipe, in my opinion! These potatoes are meant to be creamy, not super crispy.
Smothered Potatoes
Ingredients
- 4 large potatoes
- 3 tbsp butter
- 1 medium yellow onion chopped into half, sliced
- 2 clove garlic cloves minced
- 1 tsp salt
- 1 tsp paprika
- 1/2 tsp ground black pepper
- 1/3 cup chicken broth
- 1/4 cup heavy cream
- 1 tbsp fresh chopped parsley
Instructions
- Chop peeled and rinsed potatoes into â…™ inches-thick slices. Then, place them into a large bowl with chopped yellow onion.
- Add minced garlic, paprika, ground pepper, and salt. Stir to mix.
- Add butter to a large skillet, thick bottom iron steel or iron cast skillets are the best ones for this kind of recipe. Heat the skillet over the stove on medium heat.
- Add the mixture to the skillet. Cook the potatoes for 10-12 minutes or until they get brownish. Flip them occasionally, and scrap the bottom so they don’t get burned.
- Once potatoes are golden on top and bottom, pour chicken broth and heavy cream. Cover your skillet with a lid and simmer until potatoes are tender about 10-12 minutes. If you’d like to release the liquid, remove the lid and continue cooking for 2-3 minutes until the liquid evaporates.
- Serve immediately, garnished with fresh parsley.
Notes
- Don’t overcook the potatoes, as they can become mushy and lose their texture. Check them frequently and remove them from the heat once they’re tender.
- If the sauce is too thick, you can thin it out with a little more chicken broth.
- For extra flavor, you can add chopped herbs like parsley or chives to the finished dish.
- Store any leftovers in the fridge, in an airtight container, for up to four days.
- These are best when freshly made. But, if you have some leftovers, you can reheat them in the microwave or a pot over the stove. In both cases, adding a little bit of liquid like broth or milk, will help for moisten you potatoes and refresh them
Leave a Reply