If you love crispy fried potatoes, you are in for a tasty treat when you make the German dish, Bratkartoffeln!

Did you know that the average American consumes about 124 pounds of potatoes annually? Well, the average German consumes about the same amount of potatoes as we do. While they enjoy potato pancakes (kartoffelpuffer), potato salad (kartoffelsalat), and potato soup (kartoffelsuppe), there’s one dish that is quintessentially associated with roasted meats, sausages, fish, fried eggs, and pork chops – bratkartoffeln.
You may think that cooking the potatoes twice seems like a lot of extra work, but bear with me. The potatoes are par-boiled first, then sliced and finished in the pan. From start to finish, it takes only 40 minutes. You can add onions and bacon, like in the recipe, or leave them out if preferred. Either way, the result will be a delicious addition to any meal.
One of the things that I love about this recipe for German fried potatoes is that it allows me to make the potatoes in advance and enjoy them in different ways. When I boil the potatoes the first night, I eat some of them that way, with whatever sauce I make for my entrée. I then refrigerate the extra potatoes to use in this bratkartoffeln the next day. If I make a large enough batch of potatoes, I save some to fry up as home fries for breakfast, too.
Is Bratkartoffeln Healthy?
I have to be honest: this is not the healthiest way to enjoy potatoes. While potatoes and onions contain vitamins and other nutrients, frying them in butter and adding bacon increases the saturated fat and calories. However, when served as a side dish with some vegetables and lean protein, it can be part of a balanced meal.
How To Clarify Butter
Clarified butter (butter with the water and milk solids removed) has a rich, buttery taste and is frequently used in baking pastries, making sauces such as hollandaise, and pan-frying, as it has a higher burn point than regular butter.
You can use salted or unsalted butter to clarify. It is also best to use high-quality European-style or cultured butter, as these tend to clarify better than standard butter. Here are the simple steps to follow to clarify cultured or European-style butter:
Step 1: Melt butter slowly in a saucepan over the lowest heat setting on your stove. The milk solids will settle to the bottom of the pan.
Step 2: Skim off any foam, then slowly pour the melted butterfat liquid at the top of the pan into a heat-proof container, stopping when you reach the milk solids at the bottom. A little butterfat liquid will be left, and you can use a spoon to skim it off the surface of the solids and add it to your container. Strain the liquid through a fine-mesh sieve or a cheesecloth if you have one, and there you have it: clarified butter.
INGREDIENTS
- 2 pounds waxy potatoes, boiled and sliced
- 4 tablespoons clarified butter
- 5 ounces smoked bacon, diced
- 1 large onion, diced
- Salt, to taste
- Black pepper, to taste
- Chopped chives, for garnish

INSTRUCTIONS
Prep
Boil and slice potatoes.
Cook
Fry bacon and onion, then potatoes until crispy.
Serve
Combine all, season, garnish with chives.
Devour!

FAQs & Tips
You can parboil the potatoes up to 48 hours before slicing them and preparing this recipe. Refrigerate the parboiled potatoes in an airtight container. Leftover bratkartoffeln, once cooked and cooled to room temperature, can be refrigerated in an airtight container for up to 3 days.
Waxy potatoes are firm yet creamy, have less starch than other types of potatoes, and stay together when cooking, so they should not be used for mashing. Varieties include red potatoes, fingerling potatoes, new potatoes, and baby potatoes.
Potatoes can sprout and spoil quickly if stored near onions, apples, pears, bananas, or tomatoes. These foods emit ethylene gas, which can speed the ripening process and cause other fruits and vegetables to spoil.
A high-heat cooking oil, such as avocado or an avocado-olive oil blend, will work fine in this recipe but will slightly alter the taste. You can also use half oil and half butter to prevent the butter from burning.

Serving Suggestions
Bratkartoffeln makes a delicious and filling main course when served with eggs. A simple recipe to use is this one for Air-Fryer Fried Eggs. You can also add some Air-Fryer Breakfast Sausages on the side. As a side dish, these potatoes go great with Roasted Chicken, Smoked Pork Chops, or Air-Fryer Fish. Enjoy!


Bratkartoffeln
Ingredients
- 2 pounds waxy potatoes boiled and sliced
- 4 tablespoons clarified butter
- 5 ounces smoked bacon diced
- 1 large onion diced
- Salt to taste
- Black pepper to taste
- Chopped chives for garnish
Instructions
-
Boil the potatoes until just tender, cool, dry, and slice into 1/4-inch thick slices.
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In a skillet over medium-high heat, heat 1 tablespoon of clarified butter and fry the bacon and onion until the onion is translucent and bacon is crispy. Remove from skillet and set aside.
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In the same skillet, add remaining clarified butter and fry the potato slices until golden and crispy on both sides. Work in batches if necessary to avoid overcrowding.
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Return the bacon and onion to the skillet with the potatoes, season with salt and pepper, and mix gently. Garnish with chopped chives before serving.
Nutrition
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