These potato sandwiches are crispy, saucy and loaded with so much flavour!
If you love carbs, this sandwich is for you. A potato sandwich might sound unusual, but it makes perfect sense — especially if you know the classic chip butty. Crisp, golden breakfast-style potatoes tucked into a toasted English muffin with sauce and a runny fried egg make a satisfying, flavour-packed meal for breakfast or brunch.
Breakfast Potatoes
These potatoes are prepared in a breakfast style: diced, par-boiled, steam-dried and then shallow fried until deeply golden and crisp. Boiling first removes excess starch and gives you fluffy centres. Roughing up the edges after boiling creates little craggy surfaces that turn beautifully crunchy when fried. For extra flavour, boil the potatoes in chicken stock instead of plain water.
Boiling the potatoes
Place the diced potatoes in a pot and cover with stock or salted water. Bring to a boil and cook until just tender when pierced with a knife. Drain but do not rinse; leaving surface starch helps develop texture. Let the potatoes steam dry for at least five minutes — preferably until they stop steaming — so they fry up crispy instead of soggy.
Steam drying the potatoes
Allowing the potatoes to sit after draining is key. The residual steam evaporates, removing surface moisture that would otherwise impede browning. This step makes a big difference in the final crunch.
Making Breakfast Potatoes
To make these distinctly breakfast-y, fry some bacon, onion and garlic first. Remove that mixture from the pan, then shallow fry the potatoes in the hot oil until they are deeply golden. Return the bacon-onion-garlic mix to the pan and toss with the potatoes so every bite has flavour.
How to shallow fry potatoes
Use a cast-iron skillet or heavy-bottomed pan and enough neutral, high-smoke-point oil (vegetable oil works well) to cover the base. Heat until shimmering but not smoking, add the potatoes carefully, and fry while stirring occasionally until golden and crisp — expect around 15 minutes, depending on chunk size. Drain off excess oil before adding the bacon and aromatics back in.
Potato Sandwiches
The potatoes are the star, so keep the rest simple. For each sandwich you’ll want toasted English muffins, a drizzle of sauce, the crispy potatoes and a fried egg. The runny yolk adds delicious creaminess to balance the crunch.
- English Muffins – Light and toasty, they offset the crunchy potatoes.
- Sriracha – Adds heat and moisture; substitute with any favourite sauce if you prefer no spice.
- Potatoes – See the breakfast potatoes section above.
- Fried Egg – Optional but recommended; scrambled egg works too.
Substitutions and tips
If you don’t like spice, swap sriracha for ketchup, mayo, or another sauce. You can skip the egg, but the yolk pairs beautifully with the potatoes and helps keep the sandwich moist. For a vegetarian version, omit the bacon and use vegetable stock for boiling.
Serving Potato Sandwiches
Assemble while the potatoes are hot: spread sauce on the toasted muffin base, pile on the potatoes, add the fried egg, and top with the muffin crown. These are ideal for a leisurely weekend breakfast — no sides required.
Make-ahead notes
It’s best to serve the sandwiches immediately for maximum crispiness. You can prepare the potatoes in advance: cool completely, refrigerate in an airtight container for up to a couple of days, then reheat in a pan over medium heat until piping hot and crisp again.
Ready for the full recipe? Here it is:
How to make Potato Sandwiches (Full Recipe)
Ingredients
Breakfast Potatoes
- 1.6 lb / 750 g Maris Piper or Russet potatoes, peeled and diced into small bite-sized chunks
- 4 cups / 1 litre chicken stock (or water)
- 1/2 cup / 120 ml vegetable oil (for frying)
- 4–5 slices bacon, finely diced (omit for vegetarian)
- 1 small onion, finely diced
- 1 clove garlic, finely diced
- 1 tsp salt, plus more to taste
- Black pepper, to taste
Sandwiches
- 5 English muffins, halved and toasted
- 5 fried eggs (or scrambled if preferred)
- Sriracha or sauce of choice
Instructions
- Add the diced potatoes to a large pot and pour in chicken stock or water to comfortably cover. Bring to a boil and cook until the potatoes are just about knife-tender. Drain (do not rinse) and leave to steam dry for at least 5 minutes, ideally until they stop releasing steam.
- While the potatoes cook, fry the bacon in a large pan over medium heat until it begins to crisp. Add the onion and cook until soft, then add garlic and fry for another minute or two. Remove this mixture from the pan and increase the heat to high.
- Pour in the oil and once hot, carefully add the potatoes. Fry, stirring occasionally, until the potatoes are golden and crispy. This can take 15 minutes or longer depending on potato size. Drain any excess oil, then return the bacon, onion and garlic to the pan and toss to combine. Season with salt and pepper to taste.
- To assemble: drizzle sauce over the bottom half of each toasted muffin, pile on a generous portion of potatoes, add a fried egg, then top with the other muffin half. Serve immediately.
Notes
- Egg: A fried egg with a runny yolk is ideal for added sauciness, but scrambled works well too.
- Make-ahead: Potatoes keep in the fridge for a couple of days. Reheat in a pan to restore crispiness.
- Variations: For a vegetarian version omit bacon and use vegetable stock. Add a slice of cheese if you like.
- Calories shown are an estimate per sandwich based on typical ingredient quantities.
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