The Two-Step Trick For Perfectly Crispy Breakfast Potatoes
There's a reason so many breakfast and brunch dishes come with a side of potatoes. When done well, the versatile side pairs flawlessly with everything from creamy hollandaise and avocado to salty bacon, and allows you to mop up every ounce of that oozing yolk that comes along with a perfectly poached egg.
However, while breakfast potatoes may seem like a simple dish to make, executing them perfectly is a challenge. Since the interior takes longer to cook than the exterior, depending on the technique you use, you might find yourself with a burnt coating and a still-raw middle. Luckily, there's an easy two-step trick shared on TikTok that may well get you dreamy breakfast potatoes.
As TikTok user @thejoshelkin demonstrated in a short video, rather than immediately putting diced potatoes in a skillet or on a sheet pan to roast in the oven, he first tossed them in salted boiling water. Then, he allowed them to boil for about 10 minutes (as he clarified in the comments section in response to a query about cook time) before transferring them to a skillet with sizzling butter and oil to brown and develop that perfect exterior.
The creator also advised that you not move the softened potatoes around in the skillet too much, instead allowing them to cook undisturbed so they can really crisp up before tossing in your desired seasonings (or the secret ingredient of your choice).
Parboiling — the essential potato hack
It seems people are serious about their breakfast potato tips, as the simple video got a staggering 2.9 million likes, over 68,000 shares, as well as over 5,000 comments weighing in on the demonstrated technique. It seems a blueprint to level up their breakfast potatoes was enough to catch any TikTok scroller's attention.
@thejoshelkin Perfect breakfast potatoes, everytime! #tiktokfood #foodtiktok
While the creator didn't mention the exact name of the technique, it's known as parboiling. Those few minutes in the boiling water allow the potatoes to partially cook, essentially giving you a head start so you can worry solely about crisping up the exterior rather than cooking raw potatoes until they're completely done. The two-step method is the key to breakfast potatoes that have a crisp, browned exterior surface and fluffy interior.
You can also use the exact same technique for a variety of potato preparations, from large roasted potatoes to home fries, so you can whip up whatever shape or size you prefer for your starchy breakfast accouterments.
The secret, however, lies in partially cooking the potatoes rather than the boiling water itself. So, as one commenter suggests, if you want to avoid dirtying two pots just to make your breakfast potatoes, you might consider microwaving the potatoes until softened, or even tossing them in the air fryer for less than the standard cooking time, just to get that cooking process started before finishing things off in a skillet or frying pan.