Hash browns

[halo]

I love hash browns. Take the bag out of the freezer, heat up the skillet, fry those babies til they are brown and crispy....yummmm

However, herein lies my problem.

I have real potatoes. I usually dont, but they were on sale cheap, so I bought some and made some potato soup. Which was killer. And cheap. But after 5 days, Im ready for something else. And Im thinking hash browns would be yummy for dinner. Just like how Waffles House makes them, covered with everything.

But how do you make hash browns from real potatoes? Do I have to freeze them first so I know how to cook them?? Anyone have any tips and/or great recipes?

 

[Mojo Chick'n]

Quote:
I believe Alton Brown (and you could probably search food network for the show) just grated his and then drained them, blotted them off with towels. He said to make sure you get as much water out of them as possible, or they don't get good and crispy.

meri

 

[DuckLady]

My Mom used to bake extra potatoes when we had them for dinner. Next morning she would peel and shred the cold potatoes and fry up. Yum yum!

 

[Chirpy]

I've never had luck using fresh potatoes as hash browns. I always nuke mine first (which I hate) and then fry them.

I like what Terrie's mom does better and will try that.. soon.

 

[sred98]

Quote:
Ditto!

Shelly

 

[luvmychicknkids]

I do mine from fresh all the time and they turn out perfect. Just go really slow so they get done inside. Soooooooooooo yummy. Especially with bell pepper and onion.

 

[Athena]

I grate mine from fresh as well.... to make hash browns...

and to be honest, I dont squeeze anything out, cause they need that moisture to cook all the way through.

I get all prepped up, cause I work with a really hot skillet.

Chop up the veggies you want in there, someone mentioned green peppers and onions.. I just use green onions... the white part, sliced thin, and the green part, slice slightly bigger...

Add some olive oil to the skillet, get it hot, then add potatoes. I would cook for a good 5 mins, and often times, depending on how much I make, I might have to sprinkle water atop the spuds to guarantee cooking. Then halfway through, I add the green onions, season, mix, then leave in the skillet to brown up nicely. Flip over to get the other side brown

A good tip...if you fry bacon at the same time.... Add some bacon grease into the spuds for a lil added flavor.

For home fries.. I do the same thing...
Instead of grating them, I chop then up in small pieces.. and into hot skillet. Add green onions, salt and pepper, mix, brown, flip and let brown again.

When I serve either... a dallop of ketchup..and Im good to go!

Yummy!!!

ok, another tip... Im a SPAM freak.. I love SPAM... I chop just a few slices of spam when the potatoes are halfway through cooking.. and its so good. I skip salt/bacon grease when I add Spam. Kids love it, and so do I!!

 

[Nifty-Chicken]

I'm a huge addict of the browns of hash. I've had a hard time getting them like the restaurants, but the closest I ever got was to shred them, rinse them well in clear water, drain, then squeeze out as much water as possible and fry them up.

Going to bed now so I can have some browns in the morning!

 

[Possumpoint]

I don't shred mine. Instead they are more country style I guess. I wash the potatoes and then I cut them up into a medium-small dice along with some chopped onions and bell peppers and add them to a medium-hot skillet with some bacon drippings. Once in the skillet, I spread the potatoes out into a even, single layer and let them brown. I flip or turn them over to brown the other side, then I turn down the heat to let them finish cooking. When potatoes are fully cooked, I add salt and pepper to taste and my cheese, turn off the heat, cover the pan and let them sit just until the cheese is melted. They are so good!

We also put leftover chili on them sometimes along with the cheese for a quick, hot lunch.

 

[halo]

Thanks, everyone. Lots of great ideas here.