The Simplest Hash Browns

Must Try Recipes

Ever since I warmed up to the idea of having carbs for breakfast, I have been on the quest to find the most delicious and full of carbs breakfast ever. I sometimes think I finally got it, only to come up with another recipe next week that beats the first one to the pulp! My quest seems to be never-ending but somehow, I don’t really mind.

Having carbs for breakfast is a great method of raising your body temperature and giving yourself some much needed energy boost before your workday starts. Your metabolism will thank you for it! That’s why I usually eat things like pancakes, toasts, quiches, and instead of avoiding carbohydrates, I embrace them wholeheartedly.

One recipe that I always wanted to try out was hash browns. I love hash browns and eat them whenever I see them on the menu somewhere. But I never tried making my own from scratch because I was under the impression that grating the potatoes takes a long time. I prefer my breakfast making process to be quick and efficient since I rarely have time in the morning to spend an hour over breakfast. And honestly, grating is probably my least liked activity in the kitchen so I always try to avoid it as much as I can. So I just never made hash browns on my own.

What finally convinced me to give homemade hash browns a try was a sleepover we had at my husband’s relatives’ house. His cousin served us fresh hash browns for breakfast and it couldn’t have taken her longer than half an hour to cook up a large batch for eight people. I was astounded and immediately asked her what her secret was. And today, I am going to share that with you!

I will never buy frozen hash browns ever again. I was already actively avoiding them (and only giving in when my son would beg me for some) but this recipe will allow me to skip the frozen section at the supermarket entirely.

Frozen potatoes, whether they are in the form of hash browns, potato fries, or tater tots, are most often made and frozen with the addition of vegetable oil. Vegetable oil doesn’t sound so bad, right? However, vegetable oils used in large manufacturing processes are full of unsaturated fats that in large quantities, can cause serious problems for our health.

And the worst offenders of them all are the so-called PUFA oils, meaning oils containing polyunsaturated fatty acids. Vegetable oils used in industrial processes are usually full of PUFA which have been proven to cause heart diseases and disrupt the balance of omega 3 and omega 6 fatty acids in our bodies. So I avoid products containing vegetable oils in favor of healthy saturated fats, like grass-fed butter or coconut oil.

Fortunately, these hash browns turn out perfectly when made using coconut oil. I use expeller-pressed coconut oil instead of virgin olive oil because well, I don’t want my hash browns to taste like coconuts. You can also try ghee if you want – I did it once and I was very happy with the results!

Necessary equipment:

  • a food processor
  • a kitchen towel
  • a medium-sized bowl
  • a cast iron skillet
  • a spatula

Ingredients:

  • 6 large russet potatoes
  • coconut oil OR ghee (how to make ghee)
  • salt and pepper to taste

Instructions:

  1. Peel the potatoes and cut them in half so that they will fit through your food processor tube.
  2. Lay out a large kitchen towel on the kitchen counter. That’s where you will put your shredded potatoes.
  3. Shred the potatoes in the food processor thoroughly and transfer them onto the towel.
  4. Grab the corners of your kitchen towel to create a make-shift bag for your shredded potatoes. Twist the towel to squeeze out the water out of the potatoes over a kitchen sink. This is the key to making your hash browns nice and crispy so repeat a few times if you need to.
  5. Put the shredded potatoes in a bowl for easier scooping and season with salt and pepper.
  6. Melt coconut oil or ghee in a large cast iron skillet over medium high heat.
  7. Put half of the potatoes in the skillet and fry for about 5 to 10 minutes. Once golden, flip to the other side using a spatula. Add more fat if needed.
  8. Remove the hash brown from the skillet and repeat with the other half of the potatoes.
  9. Serve while still warm (my homemade lacto-fermented ketchup tastes great on them!) or store in the fridge to reheat later.

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