It’s hard not to love these thinly sliced, golden brown potatoes mixed with buttery caramelized onions and finished with fresh herbs. Lyonnaise potatoes are a French classic that pairs with all kinds of mains!
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One can’t go wrong with a great potato side dish recipe. Lyonnaise potatoes are yet another stroke of French genius: thinly sliced potatoes and onions caramelize in a pan with butter and a little olive oil. Finished with a generous pinch of salt, pepper, and some fresh herbs, you’ll probably find yourself sneaking too many bites right out of the skillet before they land on your plate.
What I love about these potatoes is that they’re unpretentious, playing off a handful of good-quality ingredients to make something truly delicious. These potatoes use just one pan and take a little patience for big reward. Make a day or two ahead if needed, and serve with Pan Seared Steak and salad, Air Fryer Pork Chops, or even brunch dishes like a slice of Ham and Cheese Quiche or a French Omelette.
Ingredients
- Yellow potatoes – yellow potatoes are classic in lyonnaise potatoes. They’re creamy, buttery, and slightly sweet.
- Yellow onions – yellow onions caramelize especially well, making them the perfect onions for this recipe.
- Butter – butter adds richness and flavor, helping the potatoes brown and the onions caramelize.
- Extra virgin olive oil – a little olive oil acts similarly to the butter! The two together create great caramelization and the perfect flavor profile.
- Fresh flat-leaf parsley – flat-leaf, AKA Italian parsley, adds a pop of green freshness.
- Fresh thyme – while you can use dried thyme, fresh thyme is extra bright and herbaceous. If you do use dried, use only 1 teaspoon since it’s more potent.
How to Make Lyonnaise Potatoes
Learn how to make lyonnaise potatoes! Full instructions in the recipe card; this is an outline!
- Sauté.
Heat a large nonstick pan over high heat, adding 1 tablespoon of butter, 1 tablespoon of olive oil, and salt and pepper. Once butter melts, add onions. Sauté for 5-8 minutes, tossing frequently until they’re light golden.
- Slice.
Remove pan from heat while thinly slicing the potatoes. Leave skins on.
- Add.
Return pan to medium-high heat and add 1 tablespoon butter and 1 tablespoon olive oil. Once butter melts, add potatoes. Toss to coat, spreading out in the pan.
- Brown.
Cook the potatoes and onions undisturbed for 4 minutes. Then gently toss with a spatula, bringing the bottom potatoes to the top.
- Keep browning.
Continue this process, cooking undisturbed for about 4 minutes at a time, then gently tossing, for a total of 30-40 minutes or until the potatoes are nicely golden brown.
- Season.
Season with herbs, salt and pepper. Gently toss and serve.
My Pro Tip
Recipe Pro Tips
- It’s okay if some of the potatoes break when cooking/browning, but try to be as gentle as possible.
- I highly recommend using a mandoline to thinly slice potatoes, but if you don’t have one, very thinly slice them using a sharp knife.
- You can use all butter or all olive oil if preferred.
Make Ahead and Storage
Make ahead: you can make lyonnaise potatoes up to 3 days ahead, storing in the refrigerator and reheating when ready. Keep in mind that the potatoes will soften more when reheated.
Store: store leftover potatoes, covered once cooled, in the refrigerator for up to 3 days.
Reheat: reheat in a large nonstick skillet over medium heat for 5-10 minutes, tossing every minute, until hot. Add in some fresh herbs if desired.
Freezing: I don’t recommend freezing lyonnaise potatoes; they’ll become extra mushy when thawed.
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Lyonnaise Potatoes Recipe
Equipment
- Large nonstick pan
- Mandoline, optional but recommended for potatoes
Ingredients
- 1 ½ pounds yellow potatoes, washed
- 2 medium yellow onions, cut into ¼ inch slices
- 2 tablespoons butter
- 2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
- ¼ cup fresh flat-leaf parsley, torn
- ½ tablespoon fresh thyme
- Salt and pepper, to taste
Instructions
- In a large nonstick pan over high heat, add 1 tablespoon butter, 1 tablespoon olive oil, and salt and pepper. Once butter melts, add the sliced onions. Sauté and caramelize the onions for 5-8 minutes, tossing often, until they turn light golden.
- Remove pan from heat while you mandoline (or very thinly slice) the potatoes, leaving the skins on.
- Add 1 tablespoon butter and 1 tablespoon olive oil over medium-high heat. Once the butter melts, add the thinly sliced potatoes. Toss, spreading out potatoes and onions as much as possible.
- Cook potatoes and onions, undisturbed, for 4 minutes. Then use a spatula to gently toss, so the potatoes on the bottom are now on the top.
- Keep doing this process (4 minutes or so undisturbed, then gently toss) for a total of 30-40 minutes, or until most potatoes are nicely golden brown.
- Season with herbs and more salt and pepper, gently toss, and serve.
Video
Notes
- It’s okay if some of the potatoes break when cooking/browning, but try to be as gentle as possible. I actually like when the potatoes and onions meld together!
- I highly recommend using a mandoline to thinly slice potatoes, but if you don’t have one, very thinly slice them using a sharp knife.
- Yes, you can use all butter or all olive oil if preferred.
- Depending on your exact stove temperature and your nonstick pan, potatoes may brown a bit more quickly or slowly. Adjust the “undisturbed” cooking time if needed (between 3-5 minutes).
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
