primitives discuss hash browns

[franksolich]

http://www.democraticunderground.com/115737760

Oh my.

struggle4progress (76,632 posts)    Sat Jan 18, 2014, 10:35 PM

Any advice on how to do hash browns?

I made them a couple of times for house guests over the holidays, using some tricks I'd picked up here and there but essentially flying by the seat of my pants. They tasted great but it was a pain to do and I'm hoping there's an easier way
 
Here's what I did:

Scrub and de-eye potatoes

Microwave potatoes until hot but stop before the potatoes become soft

Slice potatoes thinly in food processor

Cook a single layer of potato at a time in hot bacon grease, turning now and then until slightly browned on each side. Remove potatoes to a bowl as they become slightly browned and replace with unfried potato until all potato has been fried once and slightly browned. Do not de-grease at this stage
 
Increase heat and add a touch more grease to skillet if needed. Crisp the once-fried potato in the skillet by refrying until golden brown, removing crisped potato to drain on paper towel and replacing with uncrisped potato until all potato crispy golden brown
 
As I've indicated before, they were delicious -- but it was too much work. The guests requested these hash browns again a few days after I first served the side with breakfast, and I was happy to oblige them
 
I think the half-cook and then the half-fry gets the potatoes cooked without producing a gummy mess in the pan and prepares the potatoes for the final pretty quick gold-brown crisping. But it just takes too long to do often: the half-fry was a special pain-in-the-ass
 
Any ideas on how to speed this up?

<<<buys bags of frozen hash browns at the grocery store; never has a problem.

Major Nikon (12,924 posts)    Sat Jan 18, 2014, 10:48 PM

1. Here's how I do them

When I plan on making hash browns in the morning, I make baked potatoes the night before and I bake a few extras and then refrigerate them. In the morning the skins peel right off, then I shred them in the food processor and brown them in a hot and oiled cast iron skillet. Since they are already cooked all you have to do is brown them and refrigerating them overnight allows the starches in the potato to set up a bit so they aren't gummy.

Major Nikon (12,924 posts)    Sun Jan 19, 2014, 11:01 AM

3. It's one of the best ways I've found to make them at home for a lot of people.

If you try to cook at large amount of uncooked shredded potatoes in a cast iron skillet, they will either be properly browned and uncooked in the middle, or you have to stir them which doesn't brown them like restaurant hash browns so the texture is still not the same. I've thought about using uncooked potatoes and finishing them in the oven after browning them. In theory this should work, but my method is quite easy and since everyone seems to like them so well I haven't felt the need to experiment with other methods.
 
At restaurants, they have huge commercial griddles that give them a lot of surface area for cooking. They spread several individual portions of hash browns out and dredge them in butter. They are quite tasty that way and the potatoes are a bit firmer than with my method, but it's impractical to do at home for more than a couple of people. My method produces hash browns which are a bit softer than restaurant hash browns, but people seem to like them. I just flip them once halfway through the cooking process and with a lot of them you have to divide them up to make flipping them manageable. However it makes hash browns which are browned on the outside and still cooked in the middle.

Naturally you'll need to season them as desired, and you can also incorporate other ingredients like onions or peppers. If I have the time I like to caramelize onions first in the skillet and then incorporate them into the potatoes.*

*

Kali (36,505 posts)    Sun Jan 19, 2014, 12:59 PM

4. to me hash browns are shredded spuds

you are making fried potatoes (YUM!)

Home fries are similar but more chunky and often have peppers and/or onions too.
 
however you do them, I find boiling them a little to precook the best, followed by micro or baking.
 
although leftover bacon greased, foil-wrapped, coal-baked spuds make some good fried breakfast potatoes too

other than boiling instead of baking, I agree with the major on technique (plenty of butter/bacon grease for browning too)

spinbaby (11,219 posts)    Sun Jan 19, 2014, 03:35 PM

5. Here's how I do breakfast potatoes

They're not technically hash browns, but it's how I do potatoes in a wok. A wok might be non-traditional, but I find it makes fine potatoes.
 
Peel a couple of large russet potatoes and cut into half-inch cubes--red potatoes or Yukon gold work, too, but I like russets. Heat a small puddle of oil--I use coconut nowadays--in the bottom of a wok. When the oil is hot, dump in the potatoes, salt and pepper, and cook until there's a nice brown crust on the bottom of the potatoes. Stir to redistribute the potatoes and again cook until they form a nice brown crust on the bottom. Repeat until done, which is when the potatoes are cooked through and nicely browned. If you want fancier fried potatoes, you can add a sprinkle of chopped onion, green pepper, and/or mushroom* when the potatoes are about halfway done.

*

[RobJohnson]

There are two things only DUmmies could **** up.

Hash browns and a wet dream.

[BattleHymn]

Any advice on how to do hash browns?

<<<buys bags of frozen hash browns at the grocery store; never has a problem.

My thoughts exactly. 

[Mr Mannn]

I like cheesy hash browns. I like them at Cracker Barrel, the Duck Dynasty depot.

[Sprout]

I buy them in the refrigerated section.  They're called Simply Potatoes and they're very good.  They have several different options besides the hash brown type.  No mess, no fuss.  Don't have to ask a bunch of DUmmies how to make them either.  

[franksolich]

My thoughts exactly. 

The only "homemade" hash browns I bother making--bags of frozen hash browns at the grocery store are cheaper than doing it from scratch, and they're nothing but pure potatoes anyway--is when I have leftover mashed potatoes.

I'll fry that in a little bit of real butter and with some real bacon bits sprinkled in them, and it's good to go.

But both hash browns and fried mashed potatoes are even more excellent if covered with real beef gravy, or if mountains of sour cream are piled on them.

[Dori]

I peel and grate them onto a micro-wave safe plate.

Spread them evenly on the plate and microwave about 3 min.

Heat oil in skillet and brown potatoes on med-high heat.

[BattleHymn]

But both hash browns and fried mashed potatoes are even more excellent if covered with real beef gravy, or if mountains of sour cream are piled on them.

I like sour cream (although not to the point that you do), and it never struck me try it on hash browns. 

I don't understand why someone would bother with making their own hash browns, when there isn't anything wrong with the frozen ones at the store.  I suppose if you were bored, or didn't live within so many miles of a store, then it might be feasible.  But beginning to prepare hash browns the night before?  Forget about it. 


It makes me think you may have inadvertently stumbled on another of the primitives' "Bigs", such as Big Pharma and Big Oil:

Big Potato. 

[Chris_]

I don't understand why someone would bother with making their own hash browns, when there isn't anything wrong with the frozen ones at the store.  I suppose if you were bored, or didn't live within so many miles of a store, then it might be feasible.  But beginning to prepare hash browns the night before?  Forget about it. 

Thaw out a bag of frozen hash browns in the refrigerator, dry them off with paper towels, and fry them in a skillet.  Perfect every time.

Don't forget the Vietti chili.

[BattleHymn]

Thaw out a bag of frozen hash browns in the refrigerator, dry them off with paper towels, and fry them in a skillet.  Perfect every time.

Don't forget the Vietti chili.

If that were a primitive recipe, you'd fry the paper towels with the hash browns, to add roughage.  

[Chris_]

If that were a primitive recipe, you'd fry the paper towels with the hash browns, to add roughage.   

Why do you hate the planet?

Waffle House now has a "country" option on their menu.  On top of your scattered, smothered, covered, you can now get it with country gravy.

[BattleHymn]

Why do you hate the planet?

Waffle House now has a "country" option on their menu.  On top of your scattered, smothered, covered, you can now get it with country gravy.

I like Waffle House.  Sadly, the ones around here aren't what I would call a dining delight.  Dirty, filthy, nasty.

When we're south of here anywhere though, WH is always a place we frequent.

[tanstaafl]

I like cheesy hash browns. I like them at Cracker Barrel, the Duck Dynasty depot.

Not Duck Dynasty, Duck Commander Depot. I ate breakfast at a crackerbarrel near Memphis this morning and checked the DC Corner. No chump change for A&E, 100% Robertson Clan cash

[Chris_]

Not Duck Dynasty, Duck Commander Depot. I ate breakfast at a crackerbarrel near Memphis this morning and checked the DC Corner. No chump change for A&E, 100% Robertson Clan cash

Smart move.

[NHSparky]

Hell, I like taking a couple of dried cheesy hash browns when Scoobs and I take the kids camping.  They look like little milk cartons.  Just fill 'em up with hot water, let them sit for 15 minutes or so, then toss them in the skillet with a little oil.

Pretty darned good, if I do say so.

[RobJohnson]

I really enjoy potatoes that are harvested by illegals that are denied amnesty and social programs; the preparation of the potatoes always is better when prepared by homosexual kitchen slaves working for minimum wage at any local restaurant. They just taste better.

[Chris_]

I really enjoy potatoes that are harvested by illegals that are denied amnesty and social programs; the preparation of the potatoes always is better when prepared by homosexual kitchen slaves working for minimum wage at any local restaurant. They just taste better.

There's an extra je ne sais quoi that you don't get from legally-harvested vegetables.

[franksolich]

There's an extra je ne sais quoi that you don't get from legally-harvested vegetables.

I see what you're doing there.

 

omnia bono est!

[RobJohnson]

There's an extra je ne sais quoi that you don't get from legally-harvested vegetables.

 

[JGHB]

I like cheesy hash browns. I like them at Cracker Barrel, the Duck Dynasty depot.

Hi5   

[I_B_Perky]

Only dummies could screw up shredded taters. I swear you got to be some kinda stupid to screw up taters!!!! 

[Big Dog]

I really enjoy potatoes that are harvested by illegals that are denied amnesty and social programs; the preparation of the potatoes always is better when prepared by homosexual kitchen slaves working for minimum wage at any local restaurant. They just taste better.

When I eat hash browns, I want to taste the blood, sweat, and tears of the wetbacks as they were whipped while picking the potatoes.

But I don't want any homosexuals touching my food. You never know where their hands have been. My kitchen wenches must be straight, and be prepared to prove it on demand.

[RobJohnson]

When I eat hash browns, I want to taste the blood, sweat, and tears of the wetbacks as they were whipped while picking the potatoes.

But I don't want any homosexuals touching my food. You never know where their hands have been. My kitchen wenches must be straight, and be prepared to prove it on demand.

 

[dane]

There are numerous recipe sites available to us, including DUmmies, where one can find answers to these questions.

When the DUmmies ask "Does anyone know how.....?", the answer is "yes".  Google can be their friend.

[Karin]

Well, the recipe in the OP does sound like a gigantic pain in the ass.  If I had guests requesting that I slave over a hot stove for hours making these things from scratch, I'd say, "doesn't Cracker Barrel sound good?  We can check out the Duck corner."