Purple Potatoes With Caramelized Onions and Shiitake Mushrooms

Beautifully vibrant purple potatoes fried with caramelized onions and shiitake mushrooms.

By
Ashley Teplin
Ashley Teplin
Ashley Teplin
Ashley received the Top 40 under 40 accolades in Wine Enthusiast Magazine, WSET Level Three Advanced Wine achievement with Merit. She trained at the Culinary Institute of America.
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Updated July 06, 2021
Ashley Teplin
Purple Potatoes with Shiitake Mushrooms
Elise Bauer

Please welcome my dear friend, guest author Ashley Teplin, who made for me the best breakfast potatoes I've ever eaten in my life. They take a little more time, but are oh, so worth it. ~Elise

I won’t lie; I have a bit of a potato problem.

French Fries, Roasted Potatoes, Baked Potatoes, Scalloped Potatoes, the list is never ending.

I could never stick to a carbohydrate free lifestyle with this potato infatuation of mine.

And with my favorite meal of the day, breakfast, you are almost always given a side of this delicious starchy vegetable.

It depends on my mood, but I typically prefer the roasted and perfectly crisped home fries.

This recipe is my version of that classic breakfast accompaniment. Have you ever had purple potatoes?

Purple Potatoes with Shiitake Mushrooms
Elise Bauer

These little Peruvian potatoes are becoming more and more popular in grocery stores for their creamy texture and vibrant color. Cook them like you would new potatoes.

Shiitake mushrooms (pronounce shee-TAH-kay) are more expensive than standard button mushrooms, but they are so much more flavorful; you only need a few to make your dish sing.

Remember that patience is key when browning your potatoes, shiitake mushrooms, and caramelizing the onions. Trust me, it is well worth the wait.

Purple Potatoes With Caramelized Onions and Shiitake Mushrooms

Prep Time 10 mins
Cook Time 35 mins
Total Time 45 mins
Servings 3 to 4 servings

Ingredients

  • 3 slices of thick style bacon
  • 1/2 pound new purple potatoes sliced in half and then in small wedges
  • 1 small yellow onion, thinly sliced lengthwise
  • 4 medium sized shiitake mushrooms, thinly sliced
  • Extra virgin olive oil
  • Kosher Salt
  • Freshly cracked pepper
  • 1 pinch red pepper flakes
  • 1 tablespoon chopped fresh tarragon
  • 1 tablespoon chopped capers
  • 1/2 tablespoons unsalted butter

Method

  1. Start caramelizing the onions:

    In a small sauté pan heat one tablespoon of olive oil over a low heat. Add the sliced onions in one even layer, after five minutes add 1/2 tablespoon of butter, stir and add a pinch of kosher salt.

    While rendering your bacon and cooking your mushrooms in the next steps, make sure to stir the onions every few minutes and remove once they are evenly browned. This should take around 30 minutes, remove from heat when finished and reserve.

  2. Cook the bacon:

    While the onions are slowly cooking slice the bacon in small batonettes (1/8-inch crosswise strips) on your cutting board. Heat up a larger sauté pan on medium and when your pan is hot add the sliced bacon.

    Slowly sauté the bacon until slightly crispy and remove from the pan onto a paper towel-lined plate, reserve for later.

  3. Cook mushrooms in rendered bacon fat:

    Julienne the shiitake mushrooms and then add them to the pan which now has the rendered bacon fat.

    Add a pinch of salt and fresh cracked pepper to the Shiitake mushrooms, don’t shake the pan but let the mushrooms brown evenly on one side.

    Once browned, flip the mushrooms delicately and remove from pan onto a smaller plate, reserve.

  4. Brown the purple potatoes:

    Add 2 Tablespoons of olive oil in the pan and add the evenly sliced potatoes to the hot pan in a single layer; make sure not to crowd the pan. Add a pinch of red pepper flakes and a good pinch of salt to the potatoes.

    Don’t move the pan, this is very important so that the potatoes can evenly brown.

    After 3-5 minutes, when they are browned flip potatoes and brown the other side, turn down the heat to medium low to evenly cook the potatoes.

  5. Add capers, onions, mushrooms, bacon:

    Once the potatoes are thoroughly cooked, add the capers and let crisp up for a minute. Then combine the caramelized onions, mushrooms, and bacon to the large sauté pan with the browned potatoes.

    Re-warm over low heat. When hot, turn the heat off and garnish with a sprinkle of fresh picked tarragon.