These Pan Haggerty Potatoes feature sliced potatoes, bacon and sauteed Onions, topped with old white cheddar cheese. Great comfort food!
Pan Haggerty is a very nostalgic dish for me. I’d never heard of it until I met my husband. Once we were married, it turned out it was just about the only dish he knew how to make, so he made it often in those early years :)
Over time, I’ve taken to cooking up the Pan Haggerty. This is my version – potatoes, cooked to creamy goodness in a bit of chicken stock, layered with crispy bacon bits and sauteed onion and topped off with a generous layer of melted Dubliner cheese.
Ingredients and Substitutions
Potatoes – start with Yukon Gold (yellow) potatoes or white potatoes. Baking potatoes such as Russets aren’t recommended.
Cheese – Obviously you can use whatever kind of cheese you like on top of this dish, but honestly, Dubliner is hard to beat. What ever cheese you pick, go for something that has enough flavour to hold its own – an aged cheddar, Swiss, Gruyere, Asiago etc.
Recipe Tips
- It takes a little extra time to cook up the bacon and onions, but I think it’s well worth it. If you’re feeling lazy, it’s perfectly fine to just layer some finely diced (uncooked) onion with the potatoes and skip the bacon, if you like.
- The potatoes in this dish cook covered on the stove-top. My skillet doesn’t have a lid, so I just cover it with foil. It takes about 20 minutes. Since I can’t seem to pass up an opportunity to have some crispy potato bits, my dish then makes a trip to the oven to crisp up a bit under the broiler before I put the cheese. Once they top potatoes have browned, I add a generous layer of Dubliner and put it back under the broiler until it’s bubbly and browned.
- The amount of chicken stock you put in to your potatoes will vary slightly with the size of your pan. My 8-inch bottom-diameter/10-inch top diameter skillet takes a bit over a cup. The exact amount is not critical though. You want to add enough to cover the bottom of the pan to cook the potatoes, but if you add too much and you have a bit of stock left in the bottom of the pan when it’s done and you cut it, simply spoon it off and you’re good to go.
- Another nice variation is to increase the amount of onion and to caramelized them by cooking them longer. This is especially nice when it’s served as a side with dinner. As well, sprinkling a little extra cheese with the layers of potatoes would never be a bad thing. As for the potatoes, I used Yukon Gold (yellow-fleshed potatoes) in this one. White potatoes are great, as well. I don’t suggest Russets, as they don’t tend to hold up as well.
How to Enjoy Pan Haggerty
Pan Haggerty is a great side-dish for dinner or next to some eggs for a weekend breakfast (or breakfast for dinner). Of course, it’s also perfectly acceptable to just sit down with a bowl of it all on its own.
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Get the Recipe: Irish Pan Haggerty Potatoes
Ingredients
- 4 slices bacon, diced
- 1 medium yellow onion, sliced or diced
- 6 medium potatoes, thinly sliced into rounds(White potatoes or Yukon Gold - not Russets)
- 1 cup chicken stock, plus more if needed
- Salt and freshly ground black pepper, (*remember that the stock will add some salt to the dish)
- 1 cup Dubliner cheese, grated (or try Swiss, Gruyere, Asiago, aged Cheddar etc.)
Instructions
- In an oven-proof skillet over medium heat, heat a small amount of oil or butter over medium heat and add the onions and a pinch of white sugar. Cook, stirring often, until onions are golden, about 10 minutes. Remove from pan and place in a small bowl. In the same pan, fry the bacon until browned and slightly crisp. Remove from the pan and combine in the bowl with the reserved onion.
- In the same pan used to cook the bacon, arrange a layer of the sliced potatoes in the bottom of the pan. Sprinkle with 1/3 of the onion/bacon mixture. Add another layer of potatoes and another 1/3 of the bacon/onion mixture. Season lightly with salt and pepper (remember the chicken stock will add some salt to this dish, as well). Add another layer of potatoes and the final 1/3 of the onion/bacon mixture. Top with a final layer of potatoes. Pour about a cup of chicken stock over the potatoes. The goal is to cover the bottom and come up the sides just a bit. You may need a bit more than a cup if your skillet is larger.
- Increase the heat to medium high and bring the stock to a boil. Cover the pan with a lid or a piece of tin foil and reduce the heat to a low. Simmer for 15-20 minutes, or until the potatoes are tender (test by inserting a sharp knife into it. It should pass easily, without resistance..
- Heat your oven broiler with the rack in the top position. Uncover the pan and place the skillet under the broiler for about 5 minutes, or until the top potatoes have browned. Remove and top with grated cheese. Return to the broiler and heat until cheese is melted and browned, about 5 minutes more. To serve, cut wedges from the pan. (If you have any excess stock left in the bottom of the pan, simply spoon it off).
Notes
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Hi! I’m Jennifer, a home cook schooled by trial and error and almost 40 years of getting dinner on the table! I love to share my favourite recipes, both old and new, together with lots of tips and tricks to hopefully help make your home cooking enjoyable, stress free, rewarding and of course, delicious!
My mother’s maiden name is Haggerty and both of her parent’s emigrated to Canada during the potato famine years. I make Haggerty every year in her memory but this is the best version yet. Thank You
I’m so pleased to hear, Joy :) Thanks so much!
My family are from New Ross, County Wexford. We cook something very similar – which in our family is known as Irish layer. Sliced potatoes, sliced onion and bacon -knobs of butter throughout and loads of pepper – cooked in layers in a large casserole dish in the oven, on low, for hours and hours. It crisps up on top and does not have cheese (although it could in future, haha) . Very similar idea though and it is delicious on a cold winters night :)
My husband’s grandma was a Haggarty and I am curious how this dish got its name. She is long gone as are her children and anyone else but I doubt they knew of this dish and I can’t wait to make it for her descendants. His grandma wasn’t much of a cook, but I think she would have liked to have known about it.
I’ve been making this since my sophomore year in school! I absolutely love this dish. I’m 21 now and my cold loves it! Thank you so much for sharing!Â
I’m so glad to hear, Ashlynn :) This is definitely a dish that serves well over the years. Thanks!
I made these today and we loved them. Great for company.
Different with no milk in them , they were silky and creamy and of course anything with bacon in it is better. I’ll be making them again
So glad you enjoyed them, Shirley :) Thanks!
This has just come out of the oven and it looks and smells heavenly! Thank you!
Enjoy Lisa! :)
It was so good that my husband asked me to make it again tonight! That’s a true sign of a great recipe. :)
Lol, that’s true! Glad you’re both enjoying :)
Looks absolutely gorgeous! We have a very similar potato dish in our family, it’s Russian in origin and layered with mushrooms, onions and sour cream of course!
Your Russian version sounds delicious! You can never go wrong with potatoes.
Crispy AND creamy — always the best way to enjoy potatoes! This looks so GOOD and I love the story behind it from your early years :) Precious.
Thanks Sophie. I wish I could say my husband’s repertoire of food dishes have increased, but I’m not sure that would be true. He’s really good at meat. Just meat – a pork chop or a steak. Just not much of a multi-tasker, so no sides ;) I guess that’s why I took over the cooking duties in this marriage!
YUM! This looks so good. I’m so hungry right now and I can’t stop looking at your photo and think about eating it.. Definitely going to try your recipe!
Thanks Renee. It tastes as good as it looks :)
What a comforting dish, I love how crispy your potatoes look!
Thanks Laura. I have a weakness for crispy potatoes.
This looks delicious… would be the perfect side dish to a grilled pork tenderloin.
I just wonder why on step 3 of your instructions you mention carrots!
ps: I enjoy every single one of your recipes (and photos)… keep up the great work.
Thanks Lou. Sometimes I put some finely diced carrots in my Pan Haggerty, so I guess that’s how it slipped in there. Didn’t put carrots in this one … but you could :)