Lyonnaise Potatoes is the classic French side dish of potatoes and onions pan fried until crispy and tender and tossed with fresh parsley. It’s the perfect accompaniment for a special holiday dinner and easy enough to serve at a weekday meal too!
This post is sponsored by BJ’s Wholesale Club, but my love for their fresh, affordable products are my own.
Lyonnaise Potatoes is my go-to holiday (or anytime) side dish. Crispy on the outside and fluffy on the inside, this potato recipe never disappoints and is absolute perfection with any main course.
How to make Lyonnaise potatoes into the best crispy potatoes
To make any potatoes super crispy and fluffy, it’s best to par-cook them to remove any excess starch. Use one of the following methods:
- bake (in a 400F/204C degree oven for 45 minutes)
- boil in salted water (for 5 minutes on high heat; drain and dry slices before using)
- microwave (for 3-5 minutes on high)
EXTRA TIP: Leftover baked potatoes are great in this recipe! Using leftover precooked potatoes is a huge time saver and adds to the convenience making it perfect for a quick side to a weeknight dinner.
These potatoes are typically fried in butter, but I like to use whatever fat I have on hand in the house. To punch up the flavor of the white potatoes, I fried mine in duck fat. Luckily, I had a bunch of rendered fat leftover from a big beautiful duck I roasted the night before.
A delicious vegetarian side dish or vegan side dish
For a vegetarian easy potato recipe, feel free to use the traditional butter. For a healthy veggie recipe or vegan potato recipe, use coconut or avocado oil.
Buying potatoes in bulk…
Recently I was given the opportunity to collaborate with Bj’s Wholesale Club and I was curious, could a girl who primarily eats farm-to-table shop at a wholesale club?
Let’s face it, I live in the cold tundra of New Hampshire, so local farm veggie options are limited to cold storage ones in the winter and limited farm meat supplies.
Additionally, I eat things like artichoke hearts and kalamata olives in large quantities. Both of those are impossible to find locally grown, but are available in HUGE jars at BJ’s. AND the prices are way less expensive than my local grocery store. YAY!!!
Here’s what I found on my shopping trip:
- Grass-fed Beef: WOW! If I were a leprechaun, this would be my pot of gold…a whole section of grass-fed, no antibiotics ever, born and raised in the USA ground beef and steaks. Such a good selection of top sirloin, ribeye steaks, and strip steaks at reasonable prices. The ground beef was packed in 3- 1 pound packages for an amazing $13.99. That’s an incredible price! I ended up not trying any because my freezer is packed solid with farm beef and lamb right now, but will be returning once my supplies run low to try it out.
- Organic, non GMO frozen veggies: During the winter, I go through a good amount of organic frozen spinach. In the frozen food aisle, I spied a big 4 pound bag of spinach and kale mixture for half of the price than what I pay at the grocery store. I snatched up 3 bags! Later that night, I made this Indian creamed spinach and kale dish and it was delicious. I also bought a 4 pound bag of organic frozen peas because I plan on making a lot of pasta carbonara this winter. Great quality on both and I plan on keeping a bag of each of these in the freezer.
- Organic fresh veggies: Again, lots of choices in the organic department. Tomatoes, salad greens, kale, and gorgeous Idaho potatoes, which I bought to use in today’s recipe! All fresh and high quality.
- Beer and wine and champagne! Oh my!: Here in New Hampshire, we have state liquor stores that have wine, champagne, and beer at crazy low prices. Luckily, Bj’s prices are the same as the state liquor stores, so it’s pretty nice to be able to pick up some grass-fed beef for dinner and a bottle of bubbly at the same time.
- Hors d’oeuvres: To make shopping at BJ’s even more pleasurable, hors d’oeuvres are passed around as you weave in and out of the aisles. Okay, it’s not really hors d’oeuvres, it’s really food samples that you can munch on. Hors d’oeuvres or food samples, whatever you call it, if you feed me, I will shop in your store all day.
- Candy: Specifically, Justin’s Organic Mini Dark Chocolate Peanut Butter Cups. I squealed with delight when I saw these and promptly picked up 3 packages. Because I love them. And it’s the holidays. And I don’t have to wear a bathing suit any time soon.
I’m glad I had the opportunity to check out what Bj’s has to offer for easy and affordable entertaining this holiday season. In addition to food, they also carry many other different items, such as electronics, jewelry, toys, books, clothes, household cleaners, etc. Yeeeesssss! One stop holiday shopping for me! WoooHoooo!
Hope you enjoy this Lyonnaise Potatoes recipe and don’t forget to PIN it for later!
- 3 large baking potatoes , scrubbed clean and dried well
- 2 medium onions , peeled and cut in half, then cut into 1/4' thick half slices
- 4 tablespoons unsalted butter or your choice of fat (duck, bacon, etc)
- salt & freshly ground black pepper , to taste
- 1 tablespoon fresh flat leafed parsley , chopped
Preheat oven to 400F/204C degrees. **Par-cook potatoes by piercing each one several times with a fork or knife tip and bake until tender, about 45 minutes. Allow potatoes to cool slightly.
Peel the potatoes, if desired, and cut in half lengthwise, then cut each half into 1/4" slices. Set aside.
In a large skillet over medium-high heat, heat 2 tablespoons of butter/fat until melted. Add half of the potatoes and sauté until light brown, about 4 to 5 minutes. Add half of the onions and a little salt and pepper, then continue cooking until potatoes are a golden brown and onions are just cooked through, about 7 to 8 minutes. Remove from pan and set aside to keep warm. Repeat the process with the remaining potatoes and onions.
- When all potatoes and onions are cooked, toss with the fresh chopped parsley and serve immediately.
For fluffy potatoes, par-cook using one of the following methods:
- bake (in a 400F/204C degree oven for 45 minutes)
- boil in salted water (for 5 minutes on high heat; drain and dry slices before using)
- microwave (for 3-5 minutes on high)
Your photos are making me… hungry! Those peanut butter cups, hellooo! I absolutely love potatoes as a side dish and the rest of my family does, too, so I”m going to put this on my What to cook for Christmas board on pinterest. Have a great day!
Can never go wrong with carbs, especially tatos cooked in duck fat I’m not a duck fan, but stuff cooked in duck fat is awesome. Weird, right? I love going to wholesale stores! Though, more times than not, I tend to overbuy ’cause I just get so excited!! I’d buy that grass fed beef and a bunch of those peanut butter cups (and probably be into them on the way home….hehehe). Wish our wine prices were low like yours. Ours is so expensive! That doesn’t stop me, though, from having some wine on the weekend.
There’s nothing better than the combo of potatoes and onions. Even lavender cannot beat it haha:) Indeed, I haven’t tried this method. Usually you finish up potatoes in the oven while here you’re starting with it. Interesting! But I clearly see thr results – beautifully roasted potatoes. Perfection, Karrie!
Girl, you are speaking my language with some potatoes fried up in duck fat! Just give me a big bowl of these!
I have never had Lyonnaise Potatoes, but I am so much in love with the name, Karrie. I love potatoes like anything, and this classic French side dish of potatoes is making me drool. Love how delicately they are pan fried and tossed with fresh parsley. Pretty and beautiful holiday dinner.
MY DAD MAKES THESE ALL THE TIME! I don’t eat potatoes because I actually do not really like them (just the sweet potatoes) but man, I have loads of memories of my dad making these kinds of potatoes ALLLLLLL the time when I as growing up! I am sure he still makes them now too, but I just don’t go home often enough to see!
We used to serve these at a restaurant I worked at while I was in college. I’ve never made them and forgot all about them! These were always one of my favorites and I can’t wait to have them again!
You have the ability to draw a smile on my face even in hard times…wish we lived closer so i could come with you and shop together at Bj’s. Plus, I am so glad we don’t have to wear a bikini any time soon, too.I love potatoes and your Lyonnaise potatoes look scrumptious, so crispy on the outside!
I have never met a potato dish I didn’t love, and I absolutely LOVE Lyonnaise Potatoes! I mean, potatoes and onions fried in fat… what’s not to love right?! Yours look just PERFECT, K! I could (and will) totally make a MEAL out of just these crispy taters! I’ve never been to a BJ’s before (I KNOW!), and we don’t have one here, so you are going to have to shop till you drop at bargain prices for me. Cheers, girlfriend! xo
Holy moly! Potatoes fried in fat – uh… YEAH! Is there anything better?! Particularly duck fat, I’d be all over that one! This is definitely going on my Christmas table!
I don’t know…. Does it get any better than potatoes fried in duck fat? I’m going to have to think long and hard about this one…I have a feeling I’ll be thinking for a very long time! These are fabulous!!
I dont think we have BJ’s wholesale club in australia but I wish we did mainly for those peanutbutter cups haha. But these potatoes!! I cannot wait to do this to next weeks left over roast tatties.
It’s easy and delicious recipe. My husband will love this :). Thank you very much for your sharing!!!
Your Lyonnaise potatoes look gorgeousss! I absolutely love them too for exactly the reason you described, with the whole crispy and fluffy contrast thing going on. Also, I love to shop at my local wholesale club for entertaining finds and bulk olives too!
Really great!
Ohmagoodness, Karrie. If there’s anything better than crispy potatoes, it’s crispy potatoes cooked in duck fat! You don’t happen to have any extra room at your dinner table, do you?? No BJ’s wholesale club in Alaska (or at least not that I know of), but it sounds awesome! These look amazing, and I need them (and duck fat!). Also, the fam and I are going to Hawaii in April, and I’m so ridiculously glad that I don’t have to worry about a bathing suit until then! Hopefully three months will be enough time to work off all of the indulgences of December… color me slightly skeptical!
Every holiday table could use some potatoes! I’ve never had lyonnaise potatoes (at least I don’t think I have), but they sound delicious! Anything cooked in bacon fat is instantly good!
Potatoes fried in duck fat! You really are toying with my emotions! hahaha I’ve never heard of Lyonnaise potatoes. I’m glad you put these on my radar!
We love potatoes; never tried Lyonnaise potatoes but they look amazing! I saved this recipe and I can’t wait to try it! Thank you for sharing! ❤