Apparently you don’t just shred up a bunch of potatoes and drop them in a pan with a bunch of butter. What you end up with is a black, goopy mess.
I never knew hash browns were that complicated. Apparently you have to wring all the moisture out first. Damn, and I hate peeling potatoes. And I hate my stupid self for not listening to that inner voice that said “you should look up some recipes for hash browns”
Hash browns are definitely up near the top of the list of Things that look like they should be dead easy to make because they only have one freaking ingredient, but will never, ever turn out properly.
The other “secret” is to not fiddle with them much. The more you stir and flip, the more the strands break down into a pile of unrecognizeable mush. Keep them fairly thin in the pan and (the hardest part for me) leave them the hell alone until they brown THEN flip to brown on the other side.
Step One: Start whole potatoes in cold water, bring to a boil, and strain. Step Two: Cool whole potatoes in fridge, then peel the skins off, and shred 'em. Step Three: Fry them in a medium-heat skillet, with more oil then you think is healthy. DON’T TOUCH until browned on on side. Flip, and (optionally) brown the other side. Step Four: Smother with (insert condiment of choice here). Devour, and enjoy :).
I had “hash blacks” the first time I tried them (with raw potatoes). The next time I used cooked potatoes and it worked out way more bettah. They’re best when purchased in the store or cooked by a restaurant.
I actually prefer making them from raw potatoes. I don’t peel them, just shred them and put them in a paper towel lined bowl to drain if I’m ready to cook, otherwise put them in a bowl of water, then drain.
The secret is, as Ruby pointed out, is not to fiddle with them. Also, don’t try to put too much in the pan and don’t be shy with the oil.
BTW if you don’t want your potatoes to turn gray, add a few drops of lemon juice or vinegar to the soaking water.
My secret is to buy frozen shredded potatoes. Over medium high heat (350°), heat a thin layer of oil, then add a thin layer of the still frozen potatoes. Sprinkle some diced onion on top, liberally salt and pepper. When brown, flip them once, and turn the heat down (300°). I use a non stick electric skillet for this. They turn out great! Screw all the grating and wringing out. These taste like Waffle House, baby!
Don’t use butter. Butter has a low smoke point and will burn. Use a neutral vegetable oil like peanut or canola, or use bacon fat if you want a smokey flavor.
You don’t have to peel potatoes before frying, just wash them well. If you’re getting too much moisture, switch potato type. Russets work very well. Reds have a lot of moisture content.
If shredding is causing you fits, then just cut them up into small pieces and fry. I prefer to slice mine into very thin French fries (think shoestring potatoes) before frying. Also, I usually dump mine into the hot oil, cover the pan for a few minutes to help them cook, then uncover so they’ll crisp up.
As mentioned above, the oil must be hot, and don’t screw with the product until the first side is browned. Then flip all at once.
I start with raw potatoes, squeeze out the moisture, yada yada yada. Fry up a few pieces of bacon till very crispy–remove and crumble. Pour out half the fat and save. Place a layer of shredded spuds into the pan with the bacon grease and press down to form a pancake-like mass. Brown well on both sides and place on a plate. Pour the other half of the fat into the pan and repeat with more taters. While they’re frying, dump a bunch of shredded cheese on top of the first layer along with the crumbled bacon. When the second layer is done, place on top of the first, put more cheese on top, and place under the broiler briefly till the cheese is melted. Cut into wedges and serve with over-medium eggs and a big-ass ham steak.
Easy, foolproof, and truly the breakfast (or dinner) of champions!
I disagree re butter. I’ve always used it, and never had a problem. Hash browns don’t need to be cooked on extremely high heat, and the smoke point of butter is around 350.
Also, bacon fat has a lower smoke point than butter, if it’s been filtered through a coffee filter. If it’s been refined as much as possible, then you end up with lard. The smoke point of lard might be a total 20 degrees higher than butter.
Anyhow, I think the worry over smoke point is mostly a waste of time. The burning is a result of the impurities within the oil, which often aren’t significant enough to noticeably taint the taste of your food. The Italians have been deep frying with Extra Virgin Olive Oil for years.
For someone who understands these things, it’s not a problem. For a novice such as the OP, it makes a big difference. Burned butter is nasty. It’s smoke point is at 350, which means you need to stay on top of it. I disagree about lard, which will hold up up to about 400F. Better to perfect the method first, it would seem.
EVOO has a smoke point of over 400F, so I’m not sure I understand your statement about frying in it. Optimal deep frying temperature is well under that, so a regulated heat would allow its use without problem.