French Onion Potatoes

An old classic potato dish is refreshed with the sophisticated flavors of French onion soup.

For 50 years or more, home cooks have been making potatoes seasoned with powdered onion soup mix. We’ve decided to turn the volume up on this basic idea, and thus this awesome dish was created – French onion soup flavors married to America’s favorite carb, the potato.

Here we’re using many of the traditional French onion soup ingredients to make a deliciously sweet onion mix which elevates regular old diced potatoes into a truly special side dish. The crunchy fried onion topping is optional, but we heartily recommend it to add some crunch and another layer of oniony goodness. A little sprinkle of fresh thyme or some Herbes de Provence on top will add even more authenticity to the French Onion vibe.

This recipe calls for diced frozen potatoes, which are convenient and easy to work with. We’ve tried it a bunch of different ways, and we’re glad to report that it works equally well with all manner of potato styles. Try this recipe using mashed potatoes or little roasted baby potatoes, and you’ll be amazed how they’re transformed. You could even serve this as a poutine, a speciality of Quebec in Canada. The possibilities are virtually endless!

On Caramelizing Onions

As the name implies, caramelization is the process of cooking an ingredient until the sugars naturally occurring in it start to turn to caramel. we don’t think of onions as a sweet food, but they do contain a fair bit of natural sugar. As they cook, the water in them evaporates and the sugars start to turn brown, concentrating the sweet flavors of the onion while allowing that burning “onioniness” to dissipate. The trick is not to rush them. Cooked too quickly they will turn bitter and black – let them take the time they need, and keep an eye on them… once the color starts to change it means that the water is cooked off, and the process starts to speed up. How deeply caramelized you take your onions is a matter of taste, we like to cook them until they’re toffee colored.

Caramelized onions are also great on burgers and sandwiches, so feel free to make extra and store the spare onions in the fridge for other uses – they’re wonderful on a charcuterie board or with warm brie, for example.

Ingredients

1 package about 32 ounces frozen diced potatoes, thawed
2 medium sweet yellow onions thinly sliced into rings
3 tablespoons unsalted butter
1 cup beef broth plus 3 tablespoons, divided
1 tablespoon vegetable oil
2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
4 ounces mozzarella cheese sliced or shredded
¼ cup shredded Parmesan cheese
Salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste
2 tablespoons crispy fried onions for garnish (optional)

How to Make French Onion Potatoes

Step 1: Preheat your oven to 400°F. Melt the butter over medium-high heat in a large skillet. Add the onions and 3 tbsp of beef broth. Saute until the onions turn translucent (3-4 mins). Make sure they don’t burn. Cook for about 15 minutes more until browned, then transfer the onions to a bowl and cover to keep them warm.

Step 2: Using the same skillet, increase the heat to medium and add the oil. Toss in the thawed diced potatoes and stir for 5-8 minutes, until crisped to your liking. Transfer to a plate and cover to keep warm.

Step 3: Let’s make the gravy! Bring the onions back into the skillet. Sprinkle the flour over the onions and stir for about 1 minute over medium-high heat.

Step 4: Pour in the remaining 1 cup of beef broth and stir until boiling. Season with salt and pepper to taste.

Step 5: Add back the potatoes to the pan and fold them until well coated. Sprinkle the top with the shredded Parmesan and mozzarella. Bake in the pre-heated oven for 3-6 minutes. Let the dish cool for a couple of minutes before serving.

FAQs & Tips

How to Make Ahead and Store?

the caramelized onions, which are the most time consuming part of this recipe, can be prepared in advance. You can even do them a day or two before if you need to. The down side is that you wont have the sticky brown bits on the pan for frying the potatoes, but there’s still going to be lots of flavor going on. The whole dish can be prepared an hour or so in advance, just wait until the last minute to put the cheese covered pan in the oven. If you’ve done it all in advance, it might take a couple of extra minutes for the cheese to melt and the dish to fully warm through.

Try different cheeses!

French Onion soup is traditionally topped with gruyere cheese, and these potatoes work so well that way. Gruyere is a really stringy cheese when melted, and has a rich, nutty flavor. Try whichever cheese you have on hand and see which ones you like best.

Can i make a vegetarian version?

You sure can, it’s easy. You can substitute the beef broth for vegetable broth if you like.

Do I have to use frozen potatoes?

Absolutely not. we’ve used them here to save you time and to make it really easy and convenient for you. You can dice you own potatoes and give them a quick 5 minute par-boil to soften them up a little. Drain them well and proceed with the recipe as written. This recipe also works great with mashed or roasted potatoes, too!

That seems like a lot of onion!

The process of caramelizing the onions really reduces the volume while intensifying the sweetness and flavor. Once cooked, if you feel like there’s too much onion you can put some of them aside for another use or add a little more potato to the dish. We think the balance here is just right.

Serving Suggestions

We love these potatoes, and probably shouldn’t admit that we sometimes eat them just as they are, out of the pan! They pair beautifully with most beef dishes, from steaks to stews. Try them with this stew, substituting these potatoes for the biscuits.