Fried Potatoes with Garlic & Thyme

My best pan fried potatoes with garlic and thyme are one of my favourite easy potato side dishes. I like to use new potatoes, leaving the skin on the potatoes, and sauteing in olive oil until crispy on the outside, soft and fluffy in the centre.

With these easy fried potatoes I add butter, garlic and thyme towards the end of the cook to add extra layers of flavour to really elevate the dish. Pan fried potatoes are one of my favourite potato sides as they are easy to cook and taste great.

For the best fried potatoes I’ve used new season Jersey Royals. I love the earthiness of a Jersey Royal and make the most of them for the short time they are on our supermarket shelves. However, year round you can make these with any variety of new or salad potato.

Of course hailing from Scotland as I do, I would call these fried tatties, I don’t think I’ve ever called them sauteed potatoes in my own home. Whatever you call them, these pan fried potatoes are utterly delicious and a great alternative to a simple boiled potato.

Why you’ll love this recipe

• The perfect balance of flavours earthy potatoes with rich butter and a burst of fresh herbs with the garlic and thyme.
• Using a few basic ingredients you have an easy potato side dish that can be cooked and ready to enjoy in just 20 minutes.
• Feed a crowd as this recipe is easily doubled up.
• This potato recipe is gluten free, and you can make it dairy free and vegan by leaving out the butter.

Recipe ingredients

• Potatoes – I’ve used Jersey Royal potatoes in this recipe, as I love the earthy flavour. However, they are not in season very long, so the rest of the year I make this potato dish with any variety of new or salad potato.
• Oil – I like to saute the potatoes in olive oil, you could also use sunflower or rapeseed oil. Don’t be tempted to use extra virgin olive oil, whilst it has a great nutty flavour it has a very low burn temperature that’s not suited to sauteeing.
• Butter – I use salted or unsalted butter, towards the end of the cook to add depth of flavour to the potatoes, along with the garlic and thyme. For a dairy free version of this dish, replace the butter with a dairy free alternative, or leave it out of the dish entirely and just saute the herbs in the olive oil.
• Garlic – Fresh garlic has the best flavour and is added to the dish for the last 2 minutes of the cook, along with the butter.
• Fresh Thyme – Adds great flavour to the potatoes and pairs really well with the potatoes and garlic used in this dish.
• Seasoning – I season the potatoes with sea salt whilst they are boiling, and also add a little extra at the end of the cook. I also like to add 1/2 teaspoon of crushed black pepper to the potatoes before serving.

How to fry potatoes in oil

• Scrub the new potatoes, washing them but leaving the skin on. Cut the potatoes into even bite-sized chunks.
• Place the potatoes into a large saucepan, along with a teaspoon of sea salt. Cover with boiling water, bring to a boil, then reduce the heat to medium and boil the potatoes for 5 minutes.
• Remove from the heat and drain the potatoes into a sieve. Set aside and allow the potatoes to steam dry for 5 minutes.
• Place a large frying pan over medium high heat and add the olive oil.
• Now add the par-boiled potatoes and cook until golden and crispy all over, and the centre of the potatoes have softened. This will take 8-10 minutes depending on the size of the potatoes.

TOP TIP: If you want super crispy potatoes you can stop cooking at this stage here and just add the crushed garlic and thyme and cook for 1-2 minutes.

• Add the butter to the frying pan, along with the crushed garlic and thyme leaves. Season with black pepper and additional sea salt to taste.
• Toss the potatoes in the seasoned butter for 2-3 minutes, then remove from the heat and serve.

Recipe variations

• I’ve used new season Jersey royals in this recipe as they have great flavour and I like to make the most of them when they are around. However, you can make this potato dish all year round using any variety of new or salad potato.
• If using larger, floury potatoes you may wish to remove the skin. Once peeled and cut, it’s also worth soaking floury potatoes in cold water for 30 minutes as this will remove some of the starches, allowing the potatoes to crisp up better. I find you don’t need to do this with waxy new potatoes.
• I’ve used garlic and thyme in this recipe, but you can flavour the butter with any other fresh herbs like rosemary, parsley, sage.
• You can also add some spices to the potatoes towards the end of the cook, at the same time as you would the garlic and thyme. For example, you could add smoked paprika, ground cumin, whole cumin seeds or fennel seeds.

Serving suggestions

This versatile side dish can be served alongside a variety of main dishes. I serve them with everything from roast chicken at a weekend, to beef burgers when I have the barbecue on. Try them with my Roast Pork Belly, slow cooked Paprika Beef, or my Creamy Chicken in Tarragon Sauce.

Useful hints and tips

1. Always season potatoes with salt while you boil them as this will really improve the flavour of the finished dish. Only adding salt afterward won’t give the same level of seasoning.
2. For super crispy skinned potatoes don’t add the butter as it can soften the skins a little. Instead add the garlic and thyme to the seasoned oil, cook for 2-3 minutes, then serve.
3. For dairy free or vegan diners swap the butter for a dairy free alternative, or leave the butter out entirely and add the garlic and thyme leaves to the oil instead.
4. Allergy advice: gluten free, egg free, soya free and nut free. For comprehensive and detailed allergy advice go to Allergy UK.

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Additional recipe suggestions

If you like this recipe then try some of my favourite potato side recipes:

• Easy Boulangere Potatoes
• Garlic & Thyme Roast Potatoes
• Easy Dauphinoise Potatoes
• Potato Pave
• Creamy Mustard Mash Potatoes
• Easy Fondant Potatoes
• Easy Hasselback Potatoes with Thyme Butter
• Best Crispy Roast Potatoes

If you are looking to change things up a bit, have a look at my Best Potato Side Dishes post. It’s full of useful hints and tips, along with all my favourite potato side recipes.