Pan Fried Potatoes With Mushrooms and Onions

Pan Fried Potatoes and Mushrooms-1-14I grew up eating these potatoes and most likely any child brought up in a Slavic household could say the same. Whenever hunger striked and there wasn’t anything definite on the menu, we knew what that meant – start peeling potatoes, because Zharenaya Kartoshka was coming right up. As soon as we were old enough, Dad made sure we kids chipped in and did most of the work ourselves. Moms need breaks once in a while right? Especially when there are a houseful of available child workers.

Pan fried potatoes still show up quite often on my menu today, most often on days when I have nothing cooked, a hectic schedule and food is a necessity. It seems that even if the pantry and fridge have only slim pickings, potatoes are a staple that I hardly ever run out of. Probably since I’m such a potato lover and the thought of not having potatoes on hand makes me panic, so I always have backups for my stash.

My absolute favorite variation of pan-fried potatoes is with mushrooms and onions, specifically chanterelles. They are so hard to find fresh, but luckily, I discovered nuts.com, where I buy them dried and can make myself this special treat whenever I’m craving a taste of my childhood and am feeling nostalgic for some hearty Russian food. 

Ingredients:

1 1/2 lbs Yukon Gold potatoes, (approximately 5 medium potatoes)

1 large onion, sliced

2 garlic cloves, optional

1/2 cup dry mushrooms (I used dry chanterelles)

1/2 cup boiling water

3-5 Tablespoons sunflower oil

salt, pepper

green onions, parsley and/or dill, minced, to garnish

Instructions:

Pan Fried Potatoes and Mushrooms-1-19Peel the onion, cut it in half and thinly slice.

Pour the boiling water over the dry mushrooms and set them aside for 5 minutes to rehydrate.Pan Fried Potatoes and Mushrooms-1-18

Peel the potatoes and julienne.

Drain the mushrooms through a fine mesh sieve lined with a coffee filter or a cheesecloth. Save the mushroom broth. Rinse the mushrooms, making sure they are completely clean and don’t have any grit left on them.

Pan Fried Potatoes and Mushrooms-1-4Heat 1 Tablespoon of oil in a nonstick skillet on medium heat. Add the sliced onion, season with salt and cook for about 3 minutes. Pan Fried Potatoes and Mushrooms-1Add the dry mushrooms and cook for 10-15 minutes, until the mushrooms have softened and are slightly golden. Pan Fried Potatoes and Mushrooms-1-2Add the minced garlic and sauté for about 30 seconds. The garlic is totally optional. Pan Fried Potatoes and Mushrooms-1-3At this point, pour in the mushroom broth and add the potatoes to the skillet.

This method of pan frying potatoes is actually very unusual for me, since I make it completely differently when pan frying potatoes without the addition of dry mushrooms. Since the mushrooms need time to rehydrate and become soft, as well as trying to cook the onion, mushrooms and potatoes at the same time, without anything burning and having an even golden browning all around, I think this is one of the best ways to go about it. The potatoes turn out creamy, soft, incredibly flavorful, since they are cooking in the concentrated mushroom broth. The broth is also borrowing the flavors of the onion and garlic, as well the mushrooms and all of the wealth of flavors is soaked into the potatoes. Pan Fried Potatoes and Mushrooms-1-5

Pan Fried Potatoes and Mushrooms-1-6Season with salt and pepper, cover with a lid and cook for 8-10 minutes, until all the water is absorbed and the potatoes are softened and can be pierced with a fork. Pan Fried Potatoes and Mushrooms-1-10Uncover the skillet, increase the heat to medium high and cook the potatoes for another 5 minutes, just until it becomes golden on all sides. Pan Fried Potatoes and Mushrooms-1-11You may want to add a Tablespoon or 2 of oil or butter to the skillet, so it becomes more golden. Garnish with the fresh herbs.

For crisper potatoes there’s a slightly different method. This is how I normally made pan-fried potatoes without the mushrooms. It does require a bit more practice.

Heat 1 Tablespoon of oil in a nonstick skillet. Add the onions, season with salt and pepper and cook for about 3 minutes, until they have softened. Pan Fried Potatoes and Mushrooms-1Add the mushrooms, season with salt and pepper, and cook on medium high heat for about 5-7 minutes, until they are slightly golden. Pour in the mushroom broth that you reserved earlier. Pan Fried Potatoes and Mushrooms-1-7Cover the skillet and cook for about 1o-15 minutes, on medium low heat, until the mushrooms are softened and all the mushrooms broth is absorbed. Set the caramelized onion and mushrooms aside. Pan Fried Potatoes and Mushrooms-1-8Wipe out the skillet, pour in about 3 Tablespoons of oil, increase the heat to medium high.

Add the potatoes and cook the potatoes until golden on all sides. Pan Fried Potatoes and Mushrooms-1-9A few tips on crisp, golden potatoes:

  • Make sure the oil in the skillet is very hot and sizzling before adding the potatoes.
  • Do not fiddle with the potatoes and allow them get golden and crisp before turning them. This will happen fairly quickly, since you are using high heat to cook the potatoes.
  • Do NOT season the potatoes with salt and pepper yet, since the salt will draw out the moisture out of the potatoes and make them soft.
  • Repeat, letting the bottom layer of potatoes crisp up before turning them them a thin spatula, until all the potatoes are golden brown.

 

At this point, season the potatoes with salt and pepper, add the onions and mushrooms and garnish with the fresh herbs.Pan Fried Potatoes and Mushrooms-1-12

Pan Fried Potatoes and Mushrooms-1-13

Pan Fried Potatoes and Mushrooms-1-15

Pan Fried Potatoes With Mushrooms and Onions
 
Prep time
Cook time
Total time
 
Author:
Recipe type: Sides
Serves: 2-4
Ingredients
  • 1½ lbs Yukon Gold potatoes, (approximately 5 medium potatoes)
  • 1 large onion, sliced
  • 2 garlic cloves, optional
  • ½ cup dry mushrooms (I used dry chanterelles)
  • ½ cup boiling water
  • 3-5 Tablespoons sunflower oil
  • salt, pepper
  • green onions, parsley and/or dill, minced, to garnish
Instructions
  1. Peel the onion, cut it in half and thinly slice.
  2. Pour the boiling water over the dry mushrooms and set them aside for 5 minutes to rehydrate.
  3. Peel the potatoes and julienne.
  4. Drain the mushrooms through a fine mesh sieve lined with a coffee filter or a cheesecloth. Save the mushroom broth. Rinse the mushrooms, making sure they are completely clean and don't have any grit left on them.
  5. Heat 1 Tablespoon of oil in a nonstick skillet on medium heat. Add the sliced onion, season with salt and cook for about 3 minutes.
  6. Add the dry mushrooms and cook for 10-15 minutes, until the mushrooms have softened and are slightly golden.
  7. Add the minced garlic and sauté for about 30 seconds. The garlic is totally optional. At this point, pour in the mushroom broth and add the potatoes to the skillet. Season with salt and pepper, cover with a lid and cook for 8-10 minutes, until all the water is absorbed and the potatoes are softened and can be pierced with a fork.
  8. Uncover the skillet, increase the heat to medium high and cook the potatoes for another 5 minutes, just until it becomes golden on all sides. You may want to add a Tablespoon or 2 of oil or butter to the skillet, so it becomes more golden.
  9. Garnish with the fresh herbs.
For crisper potatoes there's a slightly different method. This is how I normally made pan-fried potatoes without the mushrooms.
  1. Heat 1 Tablespoon of oil in a nonstick skillet.
  2. Add the onions, season with salt and pepper and cook for about 3 minutes, until they have softened.
  3. Add the mushrooms, season with salt and pepper, and cook on medium high heat for about 5-7 minutes, until they are slightly golden.
  4. Pour in the mushroom broth that you reserved earlier. Cover the skillet and cook for about 10-15 minutes, on medium low heat, until the mushrooms are softened and all the mushrooms broth is absorbed. Set the caramelized onion and mushrooms aside.
  5. Wipe out the skillet, pour in about 3 Tablespoons of oil, increase the heat to medium high.
  6. Add the potatoes and cook the potatoes until golden on all sides. Do NOT season the potatoes with salt and pepper yet, since the salt will draw out the moisture out of the potatoes and make them soft. Since the heat is relatively high, the potatoes cook quickly, so keep checking them, but don't turn them until they are golden brown. Keep turning them, using a thin spatula, until all the potatoes are golden brown.
  7. At this point, season the potatoes with salt and pepper, add the onions and mushrooms and garnish with the fresh herbs.

25 Comments

  • Tina

    ohhh yes! memories of childhood years. And yes Olga, I really agree with you that you really can not go wrong with this potato dish. I’ve never tried doing it with dry mushrooms, thanks for such a wonderful idea!! And by the way, the pictures of your food are AMMMAzing…either I started paying more attention to photography but they look incredible:)

    • olgak7

      Thank you for the sweet comment, Tina:). Good pictures are essential for a food blog, so we are doing our best to learn and grow in that department:). Thank goodness for the wealth of available resources.

  • Julia @Vikalinka

    Love it! I introduced my non-Slavic 🙂 husband to this dish early in our marriage and now he loves it too! I also love chanterelles and you are right they are so hard to find fresh. I’ve been doing the same and buying a lot of dried mushrooms, luckily they are very common in England. Great post!

  • galya

    Olga, fried potatoes with mushrooms is my absolute favorite!! Thanks so much for posting this recipe. Guess who’s getting her nuts.com order tomorrow? 😉

  • Oksana K

    An excellent example of COMFORT FOOD! YUMMMMM!!!! I already love the taste of this! Must make me some ASAP! thank you so much, Olichka! 🙂

      • Oksana K

        So i made this yumminess!!!! 😀 It was really really good, way better then a traditional pan-fried potatoes that I have been making for many years. And i paired this dish with your cooked red cabbage salad dish, Olichka, and oh my goodness! These two together got married pretty well and became a dinner: TO DIE FOR! The only problem was – I COULDN’T STOP EATING! LOL! 😛
        Seriously, i reccomend to everyone! Even my girls, that supposedly don’t eat mushooms in any shape or form – LOVED THIS DISH!

  • Mariya

    Do u think I could possibly substitute these dried mushrooms with a more common fresh mushrooms?? (Baby bellas)?? Cuz I have 2 packs of those in the fridge and was wondering what to do with them (my mom randomly got those for me lol). Plz let me know what u think Olga. Thanx a lot!!

  • Lisa

    Looks delicious! I tried to make this tonight and follow your “crispier” method. I put the same amount of potatoes as you in the pan at once, and they did not cook well. I ended up adding water to let them boil. The bottom fried nicely but the rest of the potato was still hard. I think there were just too many in the pan for this to actually work. Do you have any tips or other strategies? Thank you. 🙂

    • olgak7

      Hi Lisa,
      The crispier potatoes take a bit more practice:). I actually prefer this method and it’s the way I make pan fried potatoes most often.
      The trick is to allow the bottom layer to cook all the way until it golden brown.
      Usually, most of the potatoes will stick together when you flip the potatoes, which is a good thing, since you can put the potatoes that are already crisp on the very top. (They will break apart easily as you continue cooking the potatoes.)
      Keep rearranging the potatoes, keeping the crisp ones on top and the pale, less cooked potatoes on the bottom layer, letting each part crisp up before turning. This method should work if you follow these tips and the ones I already wrote in the recipe instructions. Also, another thing to take note of is to cut the potatoes on the thinner side, which helps them cook faster.
      However, if you want an easier method, follow the first method.

      • Lisa

        My husband is Ukrainian and prefers the crispier ones 😉 me too, actually.
        Thanks for the tips! I will have to try this again. Just one more question, do you cover the pan for the crispier method or not?

  • Steve

    Thank You Olga!
    My wife and I really enjoyed your Pan Fried Potatoes With Mushrooms and Onions

    May I put this potato recipe on my website or would you rather I put a link to your recipe?

    My wife claims this baked squash to be one of the best things I’ve ever made:
    http://878help.com/squash.htm
    Also try a little of my spice blend rub on your husband’s beloved chicken sandwich:
    http://878help.com/steveschicken.htm

    Enjoy and Thanks again from the old, cold Canadian cook – Steve

  • Diana

    Hey Olga, I just notice your wood salt holder/container.. And I have been looking for it ever since I saw it on Laura in the kitchen chanel… If you don’t mind me asking where did you get it from ? Thank you dear and I love your blog / recipes but especially tips… You are such an awesome organize person!!! Thank you for your awesome/ helpful posts!

  • 123321channel

    Looking forward to eating this, just about to. Could you please also tell how to incorporate the cabbage into this.Thank you.

  • Yanek

    Hi Olga, thank you so much… I got the cravings for this old dish my grandma used to make and wanted to make it for my kids as well. I used a fresh other mushrooms and it came out amazing i will plant chanterelles eventually and make it the way it should be… Thank you again…

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