Perfect Hashed Browns
Much mayhem could occur over the mere definition of the term Hashed Browns. Let us first agree that there are three different varieties:
Shoestring Potatoes, Home Fries and Hashed Browns.
Note: I personally recommend peeling any potatoes that you are going to fry, the jacket can add a quite bitter flavor and the extra nutrients obtained therefrom are minimal. In addition, all of the following recipes call out for Russet potatoes, use any other types at your own risk.
Each style shall be dealt with in turn. First of all;
Shoestring Potatoes:
Grate at least two large, peeled potatoes per person. When grating, use long strokes across the surface of the grater. A back and forth motion will create snippets that turn into mush in the frying pan. Long strokes will give you the threads than make for a perfect breakfast. Beware of food processors, they will create the short threads that are unacceptable. Once the potatoes are grated, place them in a colander or sieve and wash them thoroughly. This is critical for success. Similar to rice, wash the spuds until the water is clear. With your hands, squeeze the threads occasionally to remove the unwanted starch. At this point the potatoes may be stored submerged in water for a day or two. Drain the potatoes thoroughly and, for best results, dry them as well. Use a clean cloth towel or a quantity of paper towels and wring them out completely. It has occurred to me that a salad spinner may work perfectly for this process. While drying the washed and grated potatoes, heat a large skillet to near smoking temperature. Since we are not talking about health food here, use butter, you may mix it with a little oil too, but if you don't use butter (or at least a VERY high quality margarine) you will get slop. When the butter begins to foam in the pan, add the washed and dried shoestring potatoes. Avoid cooling the pan by adding too many of the spuds at once. Cover the bottom of the pan completely to obtain the maximum area of crust and use a spatula to scrape any threads that may have stuck to the sides of the pan back onto the heap. Salt the potatoes while they cook. This is essential. If you do not salt them while they cook, there is no amount of salt that you can add at the table to achieve the correct flavor. Under NO circumstances should you EVER press down on the heap of threads with the back of your spatula. If you do, just throw the pan out and start over. You will not speed up the cooking process by squashing them, and will merely create a slab of library paste. Similarly, DO NOT cover the pan while the potatoes cook, this will turn them to mush as well. Periodically scrape underneath the pile of threads to loosen them and prevent them from sticking to the pan. Once in a while tilt the skillet in various directions to ensure that the melted butter has reached all corners of the pan. If it does not, add more butter or oil. To create the perfect pan of fried potatoes you will want to flip them en masse like a pancake, by tossing them in the air and catching them in the pan again. This takes some practice but makes for the perfect crust. Beware of any hot, splashing liquids when flipping the potatoes. Whatever you do, avoid breaking up the crust when turning them. Prior to flipping the pan of spuds, dot the uncooked side with a few pats of butter. Salt the spuds after flipping them. It is better to nearly burn the spuds than it is to serve them undercooked. Avoid filching the crust while the other side crisps.
(Incidentally, the washed, uncooked threads are perfect for making potato pancakes or “Latkes” as well.)
Home Fries:
For perfect Home Fries it is critical to start with partially cooked potatoes. Cooking the potatoes can be done the night before. Boil a pot of salted water while peeling the potatoes. As soon as the water boils add the spuds. If you have vastly different sized potatoes, cut the larger ones down to the same size as the smaller ones. Keep the spuds in the largest pieces possible and cook them slowly. Large pieces will cook slower and allow you to catch them when they are cooked approximately two-thirds of the way. If the potatoes are flaking, they are overcooked. They should be firm and not slide off of the fork when pulled from the water. Cut the spuds into medium to thin slices and add them to a large and nearly smoking hot skillet. Use butter to fry them, and perhaps a little oil too. Salt them as they cook and avoid turning them too often as this tends to break them up a bit. Brown them well and drain them on a paper towel if they seem too oily after cooking. Tilting the pan prior to removal is a good way of draining them.
Hashed Browns:
The technical definition of "hashed" anything involves the addition of some milk, half and half or cream during the final stages of cooking (see recipes for corned or roast beef hash). The milk caseins (what makes milk white) contribute to the browning of the spuds and gives them a moist, rich flavor and texture. Follow the recipe for home fries and dice or slice the potatoes as you see fit. Salt them as they cook and at the very last stage of preparation splash about one quarter to one half of a cup of dairy into the pan. Do not cover them so as to allow the dairy to evaporate. Be careful not to scorch the pan at this point. If your skillet is not completely seasoned, you may experience some sticking as well.
Notes:
Feel free to ruin any of the above recipes by adding onion, grated carrot or other frou-frou ingredients. Being of Danish descent, this is a meat and potatoes world as far as I'm concerned. Top any of the above cooked spuds with some finely grated Monterey Jack cheese and garnish with chopped parsley if you are trying to impress your guests. If you have not tried mashing a poached or sunny side up egg into your spuds you have not yet lived. Serve with Jimmy Dean silver label sage recipe sausage, Swift's Premium skinless beef link sausages (I can't believe I'm recommending a frozen food!) or a rasher of apple wood smoked bacon on the side. Enjoy!
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