One-Pan Fried Potatoes with Bacon and Smoked Sausage

This fried potatoes with bacon and smoked sausage dinner is a true one-skillet meal: chopped bacon and sliced smoked sausage browned first, then 1/2-inch russet cubes fried in a thin film of the rendered fat with ranch seasoning, onion powder and Italian seasoning. Everything goes back in the pan with cheddar and green onions until the cheese melts.

It serves 6 to 8. Plan on about 20 minutes of prep and about 50 minutes of cooking when you batch-fry the potatoes so they actually crisp instead of steam.

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How Long It Really Takes

The source listing of 15 minutes prep and a flat 40 minutes cook undersells a full 3 pounds of cubed potatoes:

• Prep, about 20 minutes: chopping the bacon, slicing the sausage, cubing the potatoes into irregular 1/2-inch pieces, and measuring the seasonings.
• Bacon and sausage: 12 to 15 minutes over low to medium heat until the bacon is crispy and the sausage is browned.
• Potato fry: in a typical 12-inch skillet, cook the potatoes in two batches of about 12 to 18 minutes each so the cubes brown deeply instead of steaming. A larger skillet or two pans can cook them in one round.
• Finish: 2 to 4 minutes covered after the cheddar and green onions go on, just until the cheese melts.

Card times use 20 minutes prep, 50 minutes cook and about 1 hour 10 minutes total as a practical mid estimate with batch frying.

Ingredient Notes

Bacon: One pound, chopped into bite-size pieces. Cook it until crispy; the rendered fat is what fries the potatoes, but you will keep only a thin coating in the pan.

Smoked sausage: Thirteen ounces, sliced into coins about 1/4 inch thick. Most smoked sausage and kielbasa sold in U.S. markets is fully cooked — you are browning it for color and flavor. If your package is raw or says to cook thoroughly, follow those directions before combining.

Russet potatoes: Three pounds, scrubbed and cut into irregular 1/2-inch cubes (peel if you prefer). Russets crisp well and stay fluffy inside. Three pounds will overcrowd a 12-inch skillet if fried all at once — batch them.

Ranch seasoning mix: One tablespoon of dry ranch seasoning (from a packet or jarred mix), not bottled ranch dressing. Combined with bacon, sausage and cheddar, it already brings salt, so do not dump extra salt on the potatoes up front.

Onion powder, Italian seasoning and pepper: One teaspoon onion powder, 1 teaspoon Italian seasoning and 1/2 teaspoon black pepper tossed with the cubes before they hit the pan.

Salt: To taste at the end only. Taste after the cheese melts; many pans need little or none.

Cheddar and green onions: 1 1/2 cups shredded cheddar and 3 green onions, sliced. Freshly shredded cheddar melts more evenly than bagged shreds. The green onions go on with the cheese so they soften slightly but stay bright.

Making the Skillet

Brown the bacon and sausage

Set a large skillet (12-inch or larger) over low to medium heat. Add the chopped bacon and cook, stirring now and then, until it is a little more than halfway done and starting to crisp. Add the smoked sausage slices and continue cooking until the bacon is crispy and the sausage is browned, about 12 to 15 minutes total. Transfer the bacon and sausage to a plate, leaving the fat in the skillet.

Leave only enough fat, then season the potatoes

Carefully pour off the excess bacon fat into a heat-safe container, leaving about 2 to 3 tablespoons — just enough to coat the bottom of the skillet. Too much grease makes the potatoes soggy and oily instead of crisp. In a large bowl, toss the potato cubes with the ranch seasoning, onion powder, Italian seasoning and black pepper until evenly coated. Do not add salt yet.

Fry the potatoes in batches

Return the skillet to medium or medium-high heat. Add a single layer of seasoned potatoes (about half if you are using a 12-inch pan). Fry without crowding, turning as needed, until the cubes are deeply golden and crispy outside and tender inside, usually 12 to 18 minutes per batch. Move the first batch to a plate, add a little of the reserved fat if the pan looks dry, and fry the remaining potatoes the same way. Crowding is what turns this dish gray and soft — give the cubes contact with the pan.

Combine, melt the cheese and serve

When the last batch is done, carefully spoon off any excess grease. Return all the potatoes to the skillet with the bacon and sausage and toss to combine over medium heat for 1 to 2 minutes. Scatter the cheddar and green onions over the top, cover, and cook 2 to 4 minutes until the cheese melts naturally. Taste and add salt only if needed. Serve hot straight from the skillet.

Texture and Doneness

Finished cubes should show irregular golden-brown crusts with soft centers, crisp bacon bits, browned sausage coins and cheddar that has melted into the hot potatoes — not a baked casserole layer and not a soup. The pan should look like a skillet dinner, not a deep pool of grease.

Salt and Grease

Bacon, smoked sausage, ranch mix and cheddar carry most of the salt. Season with the dry spices listed, then salt at the table or at the end of cooking only after tasting. Keep frying fat to a thin film; pour off the rest before and after the potato fry if needed.

Troubleshooting

• Potatoes steamed and pale: The pan was overcrowded. Fry in two batches next time, or use a larger skillet.
• Seasoning burned before potatoes cooked: Heat was too high. Stay at medium to medium-high and turn more often once the spices darken.
• Centers still hard: Keep frying that batch a few more minutes, or cover briefly for 1 to 2 minutes to steam-finish, then uncover to re-crisp.
• Greasy skillet: Too much fat was left in the pan. Pour off excess before frying and again before adding cheese.
• Cheese oily or plastic-looking: The heat was too high after the cheddar went on, or bagged shreds were used. Cover over medium-low just until melted.

Substitutions

• Potato type: Yukon Golds work; they brown a little faster and stay creamier. Keep the 1/2-inch cube size.
• Sausage: Kielbasa or another fully cooked smoked sausage of similar weight. Avoid breakfast links that need different cook times unless you brown them fully first.
• Cheese: Colby Jack or a mild cheddar blend can replace the cheddar; shred from a block when you can.
• Ranch: Keep it to about 1 tablespoon of dry mix. Bottled ranch dressing is not a 1:1 swap here — it would wet the potatoes.

Storage and Reheating

• Refrigerate: Cool, cover and refrigerate within 2 hours for up to 3 to 4 days.
• Reheat: Warm in a skillet over medium heat until steaming hot (165°F), stirring gently. Microwave in 1-minute bursts, stirring between them. The potatoes will be a little softer than fresh-fried.
• Freeze: Not preferred — thawed cubes soften. If you freeze, thaw overnight and re-crisp in a lightly oiled skillet.

More Potato and Sausage Dinners

For a slow cooker take with meatballs, try our cheesy ranch potatoes and meatballs. An oven version with ranch dressing lives at cheesy ranch potatoes and sausage, and a tray-bake style skillet is our cheesy sausage and potato skillet bake. For potatoes without meat, see crispy fried potatoes with onions. You can also browse all of our dinner recipes.

Fried Potatoes with Bacon and Sausage Questions

Do I have to cook the potatoes in batches? In a 12-inch skillet, yes — 3 pounds of cubes will steam if piled deep. Use two batches, a larger skillet, or two pans.

Is smoked sausage already cooked? Usually yes. Brown it for flavor; if the package is raw, cook it through per the label before combining.

Can I use bottled ranch dressing? No. This recipe uses dry ranch seasoning so the potatoes stay dry enough to crisp.

Can I make it ahead? You can brown the meats and cube the potatoes ahead. Fry the potatoes just before serving so they stay crisp.

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