Hash Browns?

[NulloModo]

For an interesting Hash brown (or home-fry) variation: use Radishes instead of potatoes.

They take a bit longer to cook, but the taste and texture are spot on, with just a little radish spiceyness hiding below the surface. The red skin also makes for a pretty presentation amongst the browned bits.

[fifi]

For an interesting Hash brown (or home-fry) variation:  use Radishes instead of potatoes. 

They take a bit longer to cook, but the taste and texture are spot on, with just a little radish spiceyness hiding below the surface.  The red skin also makes for a pretty presentation amongst the browned bits.

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Now that is a fascinating idea. My sister is a radish freak. I may call and wake her up for this one.

[glossyp]

For an interesting Hash brown (or home-fry) variation:  use Radishes instead of potatoes. 

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I've had this using daikon instead of red radish at Chinese restaurants in Asia though I don't recall the name for it. The shape was exactly like the Ore-Ida hash brown rectangles you can buy at the market. Testament to the shred and fry!

[patti]

For an interesting Hash brown (or home-fry) variation:  use Radishes instead of potatoes. 

They take a bit longer to cook, but the taste and texture are spot on, with just a little radish spiceyness hiding below the surface.  The red skin also makes for a pretty presentation amongst the browned bits.

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Ooh, thanks, Nullo, can't wait to give this a try.

[Vancouver Lee]

I learned to cook hash browns on a campfire without a skillet, cooking them in aluminum foil instead. Cube the potatoes, dice some onion, add lots of butter, salt, pepper and some garlic and wrap the whole mix in foil. We'd thrown it on/over the fire and cook it anywhere from 10 to 30 minutes depending on the heat of the fire and how crispy we wanted them. Yum.

[cakewench]

oh, such helpful replies! And me too stupid to correctly quote several posts at once!

I haven't made mine yet, as I ended up making the eG famous roasted cauliflower instead. (more from necessity than anything else. The potatoes will keep, the cauliflower would have walked out on its own had I ignored it another day!) I believe tomorrow will be The Day. And, like bleu-Lucy, I believe I shall invite the foreign husband in on the ceremony. For dinner.

Love the photos, btw, Lucy!

FWIW, since lots of people asked: I will probably be aiming for large-ish chunks of potato, mixed in with the smaller crumbly bits, of course. Onion is a must, which shall be cooked down a bit before adding the potatoes. If I'm feeling fancy, garlic may be involved. We shall see.

Thanks again, everyone, for the input!

[mnebergall]

What kind of potatoes are better for making hash browns: russets or "white" potatoes?

[kiliki]

I like russets and yukon golds best, but really, we're talking potatoes fried in fat-I don't think you can go wrong no matter what variety you use (I even use the waxy varieties if that's all I have).

[snowangel]

Time to bump this one up!

If I had enough potatoes in the house right now to feed the hungry masses, this is what I would have fixed for breakfast.

I've been known to bake twice as many potatoes as necessary and hide some of them for has browns the next morning.

And, for me, it's always bacon fat.

[ChefCrash]

For me, making hash browns has been hit or miss for a long time. I'm obsessed with making them like the frozen ones that came in the 20lb box at the restaurant.

I buy the same kind of russet potatoes. I peel and shred them. I place them in water until I'm ready to cook (5-20 minutes). I squeeze most of the liquid out and spread them on medium hot oil in a large pan and cross my fingers.

Some times they cook perfectly. Most times, they turn translucent and gelatinous, sticky and plain nasty.

Yesterday I read Potato Primer By Jackal 10

I placed 3 medium potatoes in cold water, brought them to a boil, took them off the stove and let the whole pot cool to room temperature. I put the potatoes in the fridge over night.

As I was shredding them today, they felt firm, almost uncooked. However they looked and felt like the frozen hash browns (after thawing) I used to cook at the restaurant. I'm sure they were cooked because they were not oxidizing as they sat on the counter for more than 15 minutes.

I'll be cooking these tomorrow.