Sarladaise Potatoes

Have you tried sarladaise potatoes yet? This classic French fried potatoes recipe uses potato slices cooked in decadent duck fat and garlic until they are crisp and golden.

If you want a simple yet delicious side dish then this potato dish goes with just about anything. There's no need to peel the potatoes or precook them, just crispy potatoes ready in 10 minutes!

Cute for kids and elegant for the adults, this is a great dish that is so versatile.

Perfect with cold meats at Christmas for an easy meal!

Bon appétit!   

Some of the best French recipes are based on deliciously simple countryside dishes and this is definitely one of those.

This recipe is a speciality of the town of Sarlat, in the Périgord region, hence the name Sarladaise. In fact, you can buy these potatoes ready prepared and frozen in French supermarkets, but there is really no need as they are so easy to do.

If you love French potato recipes there are so many to choose from on this site too.

There's only a handful of ingredients and there's no need to peel the potatoes either, so they can be on the table in 15 minutes!

Duck fat!

Traditionally, Sarladaise potatoes are cooked in duck fat, which gives them a rich taste, golden colour and keeps them crispy. Duck fat tends to have a bad reputation but it does have monounsaturated fat in that may help to maintain levels of good HDL cholesterol and reduce levels of bad LDL cholesterol. It is also a good source of linoleic acid. So, for many reasons it is actually better than butter.

However, duck fat is still high in calories and should be used in moderation, so there are substitutions for duck fat if you prefer. I tend to generate my own duck fat when rendering down the fat on duck breasts which I use for recipes such as duck confit, but it's normally easy to find in tins or jars at the supermarket.

By keeping the potatoes small, like little coins, they make an elegant side dish for a gathering but will also appeal to children too. I love to serve mine at Christmas on boxing day with cold meats for a really easy meal.

Jump to:

• 🥘 Ingredients
• 🍽 Equipment
• 🔪 Instructions
• ⏲️ Cooking time
• 🥗 Serve with
• Substitutions
• 📖 Variations
• Storage
• FAQs
• 📋 Recipe
• 💬 Comments

🥘 Ingredients

• Potatoes - I've used small baby waxy potatoes to avoid peeling. Try to use ones that are roughly the same size. Using waxy potatoes means that they won't break up when cooking.
• Duck fat - bought ready prepared or reserved from cooking duck.
• Garlic - 2 cloves.
• Parsley - fresh and chopped.
• Salt - flaked sea salt.
• Pepper - freshly ground black pepper.

See recipe card for quantities.

🍽 Equipment

• 2 large frying pans or skillets
• spatula

🔪 Instructions

Slice the potatoes into 0.5 cm thin pieces.

Rinse them in a colander and dry them off in a clean tea towel or on kitchen paper.

Divide the duck fat between the pans and melt over a medium heat.

Add the potatoes to both pans in a single layer.

💭 Top tip

• If you try to cram into just one pan it's difficult to allow them to cook evenly.

⏲️ Cooking time

Cook the potatoes for 5 minutes then check to see that they are nicely browned.

Flip the fried potatoes over with a spatula and cook for a further 5 minutes.

Tip the potatoes into one pan, add the crushed garlic and stir for 1 minute.

Season the fried sliced potatoes with the salt and pepper and serve with parsley sprinkled over.

🥗 Serve with

• Chicken Supreme
• Philadelphia Chicken
• Coq au Vin
• Chicken with Tarragon and Juniper
• Rack of Pork
• Bourbon Glazed Ham
• Wild Pigeon Breast
• Guinea Fowl with Chestnuts

Substitutions

• Duck fat - use equal amounts of butter and sunflower oil together, as this helps the butter solids from burning too quickly. Ghee or clarified butter is a better option. For the healthiest oil choose plain olive oil, but you won't get the same rich taste or colour.

📖 Variations

• Spicy - add a teaspoon of chilli powder, cayenne or paprika to the fat when cooking the potatoes for a spicy kick. You could also use ground cumin, coriander or turmeric.
• Cheesy - a real kid friendly version is to put the cooked potatoes into an oven proof dish and sprinkle with grated cheese. Bake in the oven until the cheese is melted.
• Vegetables - try sweet potatoes, parsnips and beetroot instead.

Storage

Store any leftover fried potatoes covered in the fridge for up to 5 days or freeze for up to a month.

Lightly fry them in a pan to heat through or spread them on a baking sheet and reheat in the oven at 180C/350F/160FAN/Gas4.

FAQs

Related recipes

• Duck Confit with Redcurrant sauce
• Crispy Duck Breast with Five Spice and Honey
• Confit Duck Salad with Grilled Pineapple
• Leftover Duck Soup
• Cheese and Onion Potato Cakes

More French potato dishes

📋 Recipe

Food Safety

• Do not use the same utensils on cooked food, that previously touched raw meat.
• Wash hands after touching raw meat.
• Don't leave food sitting out at room temperature for extended periods.
• Never leave cooking food unattended'
• Use oils with high smoking point to avoid harmful compounds.
• Always have good ventilation when using gas.