Bratkartoffeln: tender yet crispy fried potatoes tossed with smoky pancetta and sweet white onion, finished with a garlicky herb sour cream sauce that’s utterly irresistible.
Bratkartoffeln, or German fried potatoes, are thick-sliced potatoes that are parboiled and then fried until they develop a golden, crunchy exterior while staying soft and fluffy inside. Combined with salty smoked pancetta and sweet white onion, they make a comforting and flavour-packed dish perfect for colder months.
Every winter Edinburgh’s Christmas market tempts the senses with wooden stalls, twinkling lights and food stalls selling everything from hog roasts and Bavarian sausages to melty cheese on crusty bread, mulled wine and, of course, Bratkartoffeln. The version served there is drizzled with a garlic-and-herb sauce so good that I always look forward to it each year.
Since moving to Italy, I can’t pop over to that market anymore, so I make these at home. The recipe is straightforward and fast, and the result is every bit as addictive as the market version. I parboil the potatoes in chicken stock to give them an extra layer of flavour, then fry the pancetta and onion until soft and slightly caramelised. The parboiled potatoes are sliced and fried in sunflower oil until crisp, then returned to the pan with the pancetta and onions.
The garlic and herb sauce is a simple, two-minute mix: sour cream with a spoonful of mayonnaise, finely chopped capers and gherkins, crushed garlic and oregano. It’s tangy, creamy and herby — dangerously good with a spoon or dolloped over the hot potatoes.
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These potatoes pair wonderfully with mustard pork steaks or juicy sausages for a hearty main, but they’re just as good on their own with a mug of mulled wine as a warming snack. I love hearing what you think—leave a comment if you try them!
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Brattkartofeln – German potatoes
By Emily
Ingredients
- 4 large potatoes, around 1.5kg
- 2 litres chicken stock, good quality
- 160 g sour cream
- 1 tbsp mayonnaise
- 1 clove garlic
- 2 baby gherkins
- 1 tsp capers
- 1/2 tbsp oregano
- 1 white onion
- 1 77 g packet smoked pancetta
- sunflower oil, for frying
- salt and pepper, to season
Instructions
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Bring 2 litres of chicken stock to a boil in a large pot. Peel the potatoes and add them whole to the stock. Parboil for about 25 minutes, or until a knife inserts easily but the potatoes are not completely cooked through.
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While the potatoes cook, fry the pancetta in a large frying pan over medium–low heat for 1–2 minutes. Finely chop the white onion and add it to the pan with a little oil if needed. Cook until the onion is soft, then transfer the pancetta and onion to a plate.
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Add 3–4 tablespoons of sunflower oil to the pan. Slice the parboiled potatoes and halve the larger slices. Fry the potatoes until golden and crisp on the outside and cooked through. Sprinkle with salt, then return the pancetta and onions to the pan and turn off the heat.
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To make the sauce, combine the sour cream and mayonnaise. Finely chop the capers and gherkins and stir them in. Crush the garlic and add it along with the oregano, salt and pepper. Taste and adjust seasoning.
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Serve the potatoes plated with spoonfuls of the garlic and herb sauce on top or alongside.
Helpful Info for All Recipes
- I generally use extra virgin olive oil unless otherwise noted.
- When using canned or jarred tomatoes I prefer well-known quality brands for flavour.
- All vegetables are medium-sized unless stated otherwise.
- Recipes are tested using a fan (convection) oven unless specified.
- Nutrition information is automatically calculated and should be used as an approximation.
Nutrition
Nutrition information is an approximation.
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