Lyonnaise Potatoes
4.3
(3)
Active Time
30 minutes
Total Time
40 minutes
A good Lyonnaise potatoes recipe, or pommes de terre sautées à la Lyonnaise in French, is a thing of beauty. Humble spuds are sliced, cooked in butter until golden brown, tossed with caramelized onions, and showered with chopped parsley for a dish that is far more than the sum of its parts.
The trick for great Lyonnaise potatoes is to cook the potatoes in two stages—boiling, then pan-frying them—to achieve a silky smooth interior that perfectly contrasts the crisp, golden exterior. Boiling the sliced potatoes in heavily salted water with a splash of vinegar gives them a head start on cooking to ensure that they are as tender as possible. The vinegar not only adds a nice pop of acid to contrast the richness of the potatoes, but it also helps them tenderize while retaining their shape, a technique I learned from Serious Eats’ Kristina Razon’s method of making the classic dish. While the potatoes boil, onions get cooked until golden brown and jammy, a step that takes patience but is worth the wait. The two components are tossed together to create the perfect balance of sweet, salty, savory, and rich.
Serve these potatoes as a side to a hearty main like roast chicken or pork, or eat them as a simple treat whenever a hankering for buttery potatoes kicks in.
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What you’ll need
5.5 Quart Dutch Oven
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Vegetable Peeler
$19 At Amazon
Mandoline
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Ingredients
4–6 servings
Preparation
Step 1
Line a large rimmed baking sheet with a layer of paper towels or a kitchen towel. Bring 2 lb. Yukon Gold potatoes (about 6 small), peeled, sliced into ¼"-thick rounds, 3 Tbsp. Diamond Crystal or 1 Tbsp. plus 2¼ tsp. Morton kosher salt, 3 Tbsp. distilled white vinegar, and 8 cups cold water to a boil in a medium Dutch oven or other heavy pot. Immediately reduce heat to medium and simmer until potatoes are fork-tender, 7–9 minutes. Drain, transfer to prepared baking sheet, and pat dry.
Step 2
Meanwhile, heat 2 Tbsp. unsalted butter in a large high-sided skillet over medium-high until sizzling. Add 2 medium onions, thinly sliced, and ½ tsp. Diamond Crystal or ¼ tsp. Morton kosher salt and cook, stirring often to prevent burning and adding 2 garlic cloves, finely grated, 1 minute before onions are finished, until softened, golden brown all over, and dark and frizzled in spots, 8–12 minutes. Using a slotted spoon, transfer to a plate and wipe out pan (wash if very burnt or browned).
Step 3
Heat 2 Tbsp. extra-virgin olive oil and remaining 3 Tbsp. unsalted butter in pan over medium-high until butter is melted. Add half of the potatoes and cook, undistributed, until browned underneath, about 4 minutes. Turn over and cook until other side is browned, about 4 minutes. Using slotted spoon, transfer potatoes to plate with onions. Repeat with remaining potatoes in oil left in pan; do not transfer to plate. (It’s okay if the butter starts to brown.)
Step 4
Return potatoes and onions on plate to pan and add 2 Tbsp. finely chopped parsley, ½ tsp. freshly ground pepper, and remaining 1 Tbsp. distilled white vinegar, and ¾ tsp. Diamond Crystal or ½ tsp. Morton kosher salt. Cook, tossing, just until heated through, about 2 minutes. Remove from heat and top with remaining 1 Tbsp. finely chopped parsley. Taste potatoes and season with more salt and pepper if needed.
Leave a Review
Reviews (3)
Back to TopFor those asking about make-ahead options: You can DEFINITELY cook the onions in advance, since they are the most time consuming part. You can probably also boil and cool the potatoes on a baking sheet, then chill until ready to complete the dish. Just keep in mind that you'll need a longer cook time at the end since verything will be cold. I think when I try this, I'll experiment with doing it in a hot oven (375-400) on a preheated sheet pan to see if I can get a uniformly more crispy end result on the potatoes. When I've made these previously, I've had issues getting them browned evenly because my skillet is too small (as is my "princess" stove top!).
Anonymous
San Francisco
1/30/2024
Good question from Kathy. Can any of the parts of this dish be made ahead of time and assembled later? Thanks!
Cindy
Madison, WI
12/16/2023
Can this dish be made in advance or even frozen?
Kathy in St. Louis
St Louis, MO
11/29/2023
This was lovely! Delish
Julia
Cleveland, OH
10/6/2023
I substitute large shallots for the onion and reduce the garlic by 1/2, though I smash and chop finely what garlic I did use. Served with standing 6 rib roast of applewood smoked pork, Harvard Beets and a good hard cider. The whole meal for 4 had no leftovers. And that gladdens the heart of the chef 👨🍳😄.
Windy
Midcoast Maine
1/30/2024