Ever made hash browns before? I hadn’t. But when made well, I know that I really like them, so I thought I ought to learn how. At the basic root, they seem pretty simple—it’s just fried shredded potatoes, but I will definitely need to work on my technique. I started with two potatoes, but only got around to cooking up one of them; the process was ickier than I had anticipated.
I took my one, washed potato and skipped the peeling stage (after all, the skin is good, too, right?) and proceeded to use my cheese grater on it. I then began to understand why peeling the potato probably would have been a smart move. Not only was I pretty much just making a juicy mess of potato shards, but the bits kept clumping together and the skin didn’t seem to want to be shredded. And I neglected to mention that I really hate shredding things. I have this horrible image in my head with every stroke that I’m going to slip and run my hand down the grater and end up shredding myself in a big, bloody mess. Pleasant, huh?
Well, I carried on through the shredding process, moving from the small side to the larger-holed grating, and I think that side worked a little better. By the time I got through the first potato, I was finished with the cheese grater. Next was drying out the potato bits. I had read that a potato ricer was the best tool for this, but my kitchen’s pretty sparse for nifty gadgets, so I squeezed the water out with paper towels. Went through quite a few paper towels! Also, another advantage to peeling the potato would be aesthetics. Because of the peel, my pile of grated potato was reddish-brown and did not look very appetizing.
Last step was cooking. I didn’t want them to be soggy and greasy so I didn’t pour a ton of oil in my skillet, but part-way through cooking it really started to smoke, so I added more oil. Of course I added too much. The good news is that they were not soggy; quite crunchy and not all-together awful. The bad news is that they were very greasy. But I did consume them. And so did Emma.
So ends another mediocre kitchen experience. I think it was fun to try, and I really want to try again. To recap: DO peel your potato, DO use the large side of grater (or find cool gadget that does not invoke fear of finger shredding), DO squeeze liquid out of potato bits, and DO NOT use as much oil! Anyone else have any good hash brown-making tips?
Tags: cooking, food, hash browns, recipes
The Daring Kitchen
Having been a short-order cook for 18 months, here’s a pro tip: http://www.viewpoints.com/images/review/2007/230/14/1187463900-98827_full.jpg
I love hashbrowns but I’ve never attempted them at home. I have two lonely potatoes in the pantry – maybe this will be a good use for them.
If you put the shredded potatoes in a colander in the sink and salt them, the water will drain by itself for the most part. You just have to give it a squeeze after a couple minutes.
I picked up a food processor at a garage sale a couple months ago for 10 or 15 bucks, and it has a potato shred setting that makes hash browns a quick and mostly painless mess (clean up is a pain, but no bloody knuckles!)
My dad always cooked his in a thin layer of canola oil but added a few pats of butter to melt over the top. He says that the most important part is to not stir. Just let one side brown, flip, brown, and serve. The key is to have a relatively thin layer so the middle gets cooked through. They are certainly a difficult food to master…
On another note, to prevent the potatoes from turning purpley-brown, shred into cold water. This keeps them from oxidizing while you’re shredding the rest. (After soaking dry thoroughly, then fry.)
Lloyd–That’s cheating.
Emily–You totally should.
Jason & Melanie–Thank you so much! Now I’m absolutely trying again. And I’m thinking I may actually invest in a food processor in the near future.
[...] all the helpful comments from my first attempt at hash browns, I really wanted to try again. So, following most suggestions (I didn’t buy a bag of hash [...]