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    Recipes » Side Dish » French Sides

    Lyonnaise Potatoes

    Published: Feb 1, 2021 by Marissa Stevens · 10 Comments

    Vegetarian

    This post may contain affiliate links.

    Jump to Recipe

    Lyonnaise Potatoes are crispy on the outside and creamy within. Tossed with soft, buttery onions and finished with parsley, it’s a classic French side dish that everyone loves.

    Lyonnaise Potatoes served on a white oval platter

    Parboiling the potato slices before pan frying both speeds preparation and enhances crispiness by removing excess starch. And frying in a mixture of oil and butter prevents the butter from over browning as often happens with butter alone.

    Ingredients You Need to Make Lyonnaise Potatoes

    Lyonnaise Potatoes Ingredients on a white marble board
    • Potatoes: Unpeeled Yukon Gold potatoes or peeled baking potatoes (Russet).
    • Onions: Yellow onions or sweet onions.
    • Butter: Ideally high fat, European style butter, salted or unsalted.
    • Avocado Oil: Or other high heat vegetable oil.
    • Parsley: Fresh Italian parsley (flat-leaf parsley).
    • Kosher Salt and Freshly Ground Black Pepper

    What does Lyonnaise mean?

    Lyonnaise means simply "Lyon style" or "from Lyon," referring to the French city of Lyon.

    Lyonnaise Potatoes served on a white oval platter

    Menu Suggestions

    Lyonnaise Potatoes make a wonderful companion to most main courses and side dishes (as do Fondant Potatoes - another classic French potato side), but here are a few that pair particularly well:

    • Chicken Ballotine and Arugula Salad
    • Chicken Kabobs in the Oven and Spinach Strawberry Walnut Salad
    • Easy Duck Leg Confit (made in the slow cooker), Garlic Butter Mushrooms and Roasted Broccoli and Cauliflower
    • Coq au Vin Blanc and a mixed green salad dressed with Champagne Vinaigrette
    • Roasted Boneless Leg of Lamb and Strawberry Spinach Salad for your Easter table.
    • Savory Crepes and Baked Eggs (for a stellar brunch!)
    • Salad Lyonnaise (Also hailing from the French city of Lyon, these two are a perfect pair!)

    How to Make Lyonnaise Potatoes

    Step 1: Cook onions in a large, non-stick skillet until caramelized in a mixture of butter and oil. Remove from skillet and set aside.

    carmelizing onions in skillet
    caramelized onions in skillet

    Step 2: While the onion cooks, parboil the potato slices in water. Drain and set aside.

    sliced potatoes on a black cutting board
    parboiling sliced potatoes
    sliced potatoes in saucepan of water
    parboiled sliced potatoes in collander

    Step 3: To same non-stick skillet, cook partially cooked potato slices in a mixture of butter and oil, turning a few times until crisp on both sides. Gently stir in reserved onions and season to taste with salt and pepper. Transfer to platter and garnish with fresh parsley; serve.

    melting butter in skillet
    pan frying potato slices in butter
    pan fried potato slices in butter
    caramelized onions added to pan fried potatoes
    Lyonnaise Potatoes served on a white oval platter

    Lyonnaise Potatoes

    Marissa Stevens
    The simple and classic pan-fried potato and onion dish from the French city of Lyon.
    5 from 3 votes
    Save Recipe Saved! Print Recipe Pin Recipe
    Prep Time 15 mins
    Cook Time 40 mins
    Total Time 55 mins
    Course Side Dish
    Cuisine French
    Servings 4 people
    Calories 270 kcal

    Ingredients
      

    • 2 tablespoons avocado oil or other high heat oil, divided
    • 2 tablespoons butter ideally high fat, European style butter, divided
    • 2 medium yellow onions or sweet onions, halved top to bottom and thinly sliced
    • kosher salt to taste
    • 1 ½ pounds Yukon Gold potatoes or peeled russet potatoes, (see recipe note)
    • freshly ground black pepper
    • ¼ cup finely chopped fresh parsley

    Instructions
     

    • Heat one tablespoon each of avocado oil and butter in a large, non-stick skillet over medium heat until sizzling. Add onions and a generous pinch of salt; cook, stirring often until soft and lightly golden, 15-20 minutes. Remove from heat and transfer to a bowl (set skillet aside for potatoes - no need to wipe it out).
    • Meanwhile, slice potatoes crosswise ¼-inch thick and place in medium saucepan (if you have a mandoline slicer, this is a great time to use it). Add enough cold water to cover along with a generous pinch of salt; bring to boil over medium-high heat. Boil until nearly tender, about 3 minutes, skimming foam as needed. Drain and set aside.
    • Place the same large, non-stick skillet over medium heat and add remaining avocado oil and butter and heat until sizzling. Add parboiled potato slices and cook 15-18 minutes, gently flipping every 3 minutes to crisp potato slices on both sides. Once potatoes are crisp to your liking and cooked through, return onions to skillet and season to taste with salt and pepper; cook and stir until heated through, about 2 minutes. Transfer to platter and sprinkle with fresh parsley; serve hot.

    Notes

    1. Starchy baking potatoes are the traditional potato used in this dish, but I prefer Yukon Gold potatoes for their blend of waxy / starchy texture. They don't need to be peeled, crisp up nicely, and hold their shape better than russets. But either work well.

    Nutrition

    Calories: 270kcalCarbohydrates: 36gProtein: 4gFat: 13gSaturated Fat: 4gCholesterol: 15mgSodium: 63mgPotassium: 810mgFiber: 3gSugar: 3gVitamin A: 491IUVitamin C: 19mgCalcium: 40mgIron: 2mg
    Keyword comfort food, crispy, easy, gluten free, vegetarian
    Tried this recipe?I'd love to see it! Tag me on Instagram at @pinchandswirl or leave me a comment and rating below.

    More French Sides

    • Fondant Potatoes
    • Gratin Dauphinois (Potato Gratin)
    • Brioche Dinner Rolls

    Reader Interactions

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      Recipe Rating




    1. Lori Leidholm says

      June 25, 2021 at 7:27 am

      These sound delicious and perfect for my French themed dinner I will be making this fall for a dinner party. I always hate cooking things last minute when my guests are having appetizers. Any suggestions for making them a bit ahead or doing the finishing brown in the oven?

      Reply
      • Marissa Stevens says

        June 27, 2021 at 11:40 am

        Hi there, Lori! I haven't tried finishing in the oven, but I absolutely think you could. It reminds me of the way I cook potatoes and onions for my Breakfast Frittata. I'd make the dish, leaving the potatoes a little less crispy then you want them to be for serving then spread them on parchment paper (drizzling with a bit more butter or avocado oil if they're at all dry) to crisp up in an oven preheated to 400˚F - 15 to 20 minutes or so is my best guess. Hope you have a wonderful dinner party!

        Reply
    2. David @ Spiced says

      February 02, 2021 at 4:08 am

      5 stars
      I absolutely love Lyonnaise potatoes, and this recipe looks spot on! I haven't made 'em in years, though, and now I'm thinking I need to put this on the menu. Speaking of parboiling potatoes, I do that before I grill potato wedges. That's a fun one, too - when we're not buried in snow!

      Reply
      • Marissa Stevens says

        February 04, 2021 at 10:36 am

        Such a tasty dish, right? Your potato wedges sound great too!

        Reply
    3. Katherine | Love In My Oven says

      February 01, 2021 at 8:34 pm

      5 stars
      I already know I'm going to love these potatoes! Especially seeing that there is butter involved 😉

      Reply
      • Marissa Stevens says

        February 04, 2021 at 10:37 am

        Well, you know what they say, "Butter makes everything better." So true!

        Reply
    4. Ben | Havocinthekitchen says

      February 01, 2021 at 1:22 pm

      5 stars
      Lyonnaise Potatoes - what a romantic name, right? I don't think I've ever used a parboiling method prior to pan-frying, but I've heard the result is fantastic; decadent and creamy with a nice crust potatoes. I can see they look gorgeous in your photos!

      Reply
      • Marissa Stevens says

        February 04, 2021 at 10:37 am

        Thanks so much, Ben!

        Reply
    5. angiesrecipes says

      February 01, 2021 at 6:28 am

      The caramelized onions must have added extra aroma and flavour in this simple yet delicious side dish. And with butter and avocado oil..this is definitely a winner!
      Angie

      Reply
      • Marissa Stevens says

        February 04, 2021 at 10:38 am

        Thanks, Angie! The caramelized onions are definitely magic in this dish.

        Reply

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