For Elly: American Diner Style Hash Browned Potatoes

"What I say is that, if a fellow really likes potatoes, he must be a pretty decent sort of fellow." ~ A.A. Milne, Author of Winnie the Pooh

   In response to my last post about grocery shopping as an ex-pat, Aussie Elly who spent some lovely time over here cruising the canals with her husband Mick aboard NB Parisien Star commented:

"How do you make your potato hash brown? What binds it together? Please tell me how to make them. I hate the triangle thingies too..."
Elly (ex Parisien Star) 

  Here you go Elly! Please let us know how you and Mick like them and if they turned well for you. And the same for our other readers, if you try this recipe please let us know how your efforts turned out.

 Diner Style American Hash Browns

Four elements are key: clarified butter, potato variety, washing out the starch, wringing the potato shreds dry. 

Clarified butter: heat butter in the microwave or on the stove top in a small pan until it is melted and the milk solids separate out and sink to the bottom. Strain off the golden clarified butter and leave the white milk solids behind. This raises the temperature at which butter will burn and allows us to cook with butter without our food scorching. Clarified butter will keep on the counter top in a glass jar without souring.

Potato variety: for Americans this means Russet or Idaho potatoes. For folks in other countries, this means large baking potatoes--the kind that bake up nice and fluffy inside--for example King Edward, Maris Piper,  Rooster, Kerr's Pink, Dunbar Rover, Yukon Gold. 

Peel one large potato for each person. Shred them on a box grater--use the large, round holes. 

Rinse the shredded potato to remove the starch, which coats the grated vegetable and keeps it from browning well. It takes as many as three rinses in a large bowl of cold water to rinse out most of the starch, which will turn the rinse water a cloudy white.  

Once the potatoes are rinsed, let them sit in a strainer or colander to drain for five minutes, then wring them dry in clean linen dish towel. 

Using a non-stick or cast iron skillet over medium high heat, make sure you skillet is hot. Add 1 1/2 Tablespoons of clarified butter and coat the pan well. Add the shredded potatoes and spread them out in the pan. Pat them down with the spatula, sprinkle with seasoning and cook them on medium.

© 2014 JennyJonesCanCook.com

Now there are two ways to cook these potatoes--

1. Leave them until a strong, crispy brown crust has formed one one side and slide them onto a dinner plate. Add another Tablespoon of butter to the skillet and flip the potatoes over so the uncooked side is on the bottom of the skillet. Cook until browned on the second side and cut into wedges to serve. 

© 2014 Chef John, YOUTUBE

2. As the potato shreds brown, use a spatula to flip them over in bits and pieces. Keep flipping as the potato clumps brown. When the potatoes are browned and crispy on both sides, serve and eat. 

If you are cooking Hash Browns for a large crowd your best bet is to invest in a cast iron or non-stick flat griddle plate over two burners.

Ingredients:

2 large peeled potatoes

1 1/2-2 Tablespoons of clarified butter

salt and pepper to taste

1/2 teaspoon of sweet paprika

I season mine with 1/2 tsp. of Beau Monde (a spice mix of half celery salt and half onion powder)  and 1/4 tsp. of minced dried garlic

Serves 2

 

For more adventurous taste buds: 

Add 2 Tablespoons of minced white onion per potato, mixed in with the shreds before wringing dry

2 Tablespoons of chile peppers (Jalapeños for heat; Anaheims or pepperoncinis for flavor without heat) per potato. Make sure to dice the peppers fine and if they are canned, wring out the water before adding the peppers to your potatoes prior to adding them to the skillet.