Southern Smothered Potatoes
Posted: 10/28/21
Updated: 08/09/23
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Tender smothered potatoes are a classic Southern side dish that belongs on your dinner table! Perfect with a variety of main courses for breakfast, lunch, or dinner, these rich pan-fried potatoes and onions are tossed in flour, salt, and pepper for a perfectly crisp outer shell.
What Makes This Recipe So Good
- This Southern recipe has everything you love – rich butter, starchy potatoes, caramelized onions, fragrant garlic. This is one of those recipes that you’ll want to make for every meal. They’re THAT GOOD!
- Smothered potatoes are incredibly versatile. They make a great side dish for steak, chicken, pork, or even a breakfast dish. Top them with cheese, sour cream, fresh herbs, bacon gravy, hollandaise sauce, or whatever you love! You could even mix in some smoked sausage and peppers or kielbasa for an easy one-pan meal.
Key Ingredients
Potatoes – Any potatoes will work for smothered potatoes, but I prefer yellow potatoes for their taste and texture. If you only have Russet or red, though, that’s totally fine.
All-Purpose Flour – A very light coating of flour helps the potatoes get deliciously crispy on the outside, while keeping them tender and creamy inside.
Onions – For a little flavor and texture. Red, white, or yellow onion will work. Just slice them thin! If you’re not sure the best way to slice or dice an onion, check out this post from 40 Aprons for the best and easiest method.
Chef’s Tips
- With the potatoes sliced so thin, they’ll be very delicate. Be gentle both when you’re tossing them in the flour and when you’re flipping them in the skillet. They can tear easily!
- For smothered potatoes with even more flavor, add a little paprika, garlic powder, onion powder, cayenne pepper, chili powder, cajun seasoning, dried rosemary, or dried thyme.
- Slice the potatoes evenly so they cook evenly! The easiest way to slice them is with a mandoline slicer. That handy gadget lets you set the thickness you want, then you just drag the potato down the blade and voila! Perfectly uniform sliced potatoes.
Try These Side Dishes, Too
- Cheesy Keto Green Beans
- Sous Vide Mashed Potatoes
- Instant Pot Carrots
- Southern Fried Potatoes
- Broccoli Cornbread
- Bacon Wrapped Asparagus with Garlic Aioli
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For more delicious recipes, visit our sister sites, 40 Aprons and Easy Cheap Recipes.
Smothered Potatoes
Tender smothered potatoes are a classic Southern side dish that belongs on your dinner table! Perfect with a variety of main courses for breakfast, lunch, or dinner, these rich pan-fried potatoes and onions are tossed in flour, salt, and pepper for a perfectly crisp outer shell.
servings
Ingredients
- 3 medium yellow potatoes approximately 5-6 ounces each, thinly sliced
- 1 medium onion approximately 6 ounces, thinly sliced
- 2 cloves garlic chopped
- salt to taste
- pepper to taste
- 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour see Notes
- 3 tablespoons unsalted butter see Notes
- ⅓ cup low-sodium chicken broth see Notes
Equipment
- Large bowl
- large cast iron skillet with lid; or other large, heavy skillet with lid
- Silicone spatula
Instructions
- Place potatoes, onions, and garlic in large bowl. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Toss well to coat potatoes and onions thoroughly.
- Sprinkle flour in bowl. Toss to thoroughly coat potatoes and onions in flour.
- Warm cast-iron skillet over medium-high heat. Add butter and melt, then add potatoes and onions. Cook 10 minutes total, carefully flipping potatoes over frequently to prevent burning.
- After 10 minutes, pour chicken broth into skillet. Cover skillet with lid. Cook another 10 minutes or until potatoes are tender. Serve warm.
Notes
- Make it Gluten Free: Use a gluten-free all-purpose flour and make sure your chicken broth is gluten free.
- Make it Dairy Free: Use a dairy-free butter.
- Make it Vegetarian: Use vegetable broth instead of chicken broth.
- Make it Vegan: Use a vegan butter and replace the chicken broth with vegetable broth.
Nutrition Information
Serving: 1serving | Calories: 140kcal | Protein: 3g | Fat: 6g | Saturated Fat: 4g | Trans Fat: 0.2g | Total Carbs: 20g | Fiber: 2g | Sugar: 2g | Net Carbs: 18g | Vitamin C: 19mg | Cholesterol: 15mg | Sodium: 11mg | Potassium: 419mg | Calcium: 21mg | Iron: 1mg
Number of total servings shown is approximate. Actual number of servings will depend on your preferred portion sizes.
Nutritional values shown are general guidelines and reflect information for 1 serving using the ingredients listed, not including any optional ingredients. Actual macros may vary slightly depending on specific brands and types of ingredients used.
To determine the weight of one serving, prepare the recipe as instructed. Weigh the finished recipe, then divide the weight of the finished recipe (not including the weight of the container the food is in) by the desired number of servings. Result will be the weight of one serving.
Loved these, I let them brown more than wha you see in the pic above and that with the flavor of the onions and garlic, oh my, so delicious! Thank you for a new potato recipe in my rotation!
Yay- so glad to hear this has made it into your rotation! Thanks for sharing, Eva.
Very easy to make and very delicious!
So glad you enjoyed them!
These are delicious!! I sliced them thin but I did have to add 1/4 cup of water to fully get them softened but no problem, the potatoes were large. I will definitely make these again but next time my southern roots will have me substituting bacon grease for the butter.
Ooh, I bet they’ll be delicious! Thanks for sharing, Melanie.
These – were – delicious! And not hard to make at all!
So glad you enjoyed them, Susan!
It was delicious, but i had a similar experience to Aliace. I had to add more broth it was a total if 2/3 cup at the end and I only cooked 2 large potatoes.
The end product was delicious, so I have no complaints. Great recipe and I will make them again.
Glad you enjoyed them, Elizabeth. Thank you for sharing!
These are great! My new favourite potato recipe
So glad you enjoyed them, Doreen! Thanks for sharing!
Ten minutes was not enough time to cook the potatoes, also the butter and broth evaporated very quickly had to had more. I will not be making this recipe again.
I’m so sorry, Alease! It sounds like your potatoes might not have been sliced thin enough? I do hope you’ll give this one another try! Regardless, thank you for your feedback!
How important is the cast iron frying pan in this process. I’m not the owner of one perhaps I’ll put it on the wish list but the recipe sounds very simple and very good with the end result
Hi, Kate! While we recommend a cast iron skillet for this (and for so many other recipes!), you can totally make these potatoes without one. We mention in the equipment list that you can use a large cast-iron skillet with a lid, or a similar large heavy skillet with a lid. Since the dish doesn’t need to go in the oven at any point, the cast-iron isn’t as crucial.
Definitely put a cast-iron skillet on your wish list, though – they’re wonderful, and super versatile!
You were supposed to cook for 20mins. 10mins first, then add stock and cook for additional 10mins.
Followed instructions exactly! Perfect potatoes! I have been smothering potatoes all my life but I have never heard of using flour. What a difference! Thank you for sharing!
So glad you enjoyed, Sarah! Thanks for your review!
Can you use small cube potatoes instead of sliced and can you use brown gravy mix instead of flour and use beef Broth
We haven’t tested any of that out so I can’t give you a definite answer, but you’re welcome to give it a try.