How to Make the Best Crispy Golden Hash Browns for Breakfast
Gabriel lives with her family on the Island of Madeira, where a warm climate provides the perfect environment to enjoy the outdoor life.
Crispy Hash Browns
Gabriel Wilson
Having a small farm holding means there's never a day that I don't have to do something, especially feeding all of my birds. Thankfully, the weekends are more relaxed, and my eight-year-old insists on a special breakfast treat on Sunday mornings. Hash browns have firmly found their way onto the "special list" and are a regular side to our bacon and eggs.
We have a few rules regarding our hash browns; they must be golden brown and very crispy with plenty of onion. We also like them to look like hash browns and not just a potato rosti, so I use cooking moulds. I have a food critic (my young daughter) who is not afraid to give me a rundown on my efforts. Admittedly I find the assessments a little harsh at times but she keeps me on my toes and the end result is worth the constructive feedback.
Cook Time
| Prep time | Cook time | Ready in | Yields |
|---|---|---|---|
15 min | 8 min | 23 min | Makes approximately 12 hash browns |
Ingredients
- 2 large floury potatoes, peeled and grated
- 1 large onion, grated
- 1 handful fresh chives, snipped
- Paprika, to taste
- Salt and black pepper, to taste
- 1 fresh egg, beaten
- 2 tablespoons flour
- Vegtable oil, for frying
Important Tool: Cooking Moulds
You will need cooking moulds to shape the hash browns. I bought mine from Amazon ages ago and they are still in great shape and easy to clean. I have a newer set with handles and an older set without. I recommend the mould set with handles; they are much easier to manipulate and safer for your fingers.
Read More From Delishably
Cooking Moulds
Gabriel Wilson
Instructions
- Rinse the grated potato in cold water until the water is clear.
- Squeeze the excess water from the grated potato and place on a clean tea towel.
- Add the onion to the tea towel and twist the towel to remove any excess liquid. The result should be an almost dry mixture of potato and onion.
- Place the potato and onion mixture in a large bowl. Add the chives and season with paprika, salt and pepper. Mix the ingredients well.
- Add in the flour and beaten egg. Using a fork, blend the mixture together.
- Dab a little oil on a paper towel and grease the moulds to prevent any sticking.
- Heat a good glug of vegetable oil in a large frying pan till hot (but not smoking).
- Place the moulds into the pan and add spoonfulls of the potato and onion mixture to each mould.
- Fry for 3 to 4 minutes, remove the cooking mould and flip the hash brown over and cook for a further 3 to 4 minutes until golden brown and crispy.
- Remove with a slotted spoon and drain on paper tables. Serve immediately.
Photo Guide
Notes
- Rinsing the grated potato gets rid of excess starch which can result in a raw centre as the starch encourages the potato shreds to stick together and we don't want that.
- Grate the onion on the smallest setting; we want very fine shreds. The onion adds a lot a flavour. Without the onion the hash brown can be bland.
- I add chives to my hash browns because I love the flavour, especially with poached eggs and bacon. It is optional.
- Cooking moulds give the hash browns a solid round shape. You can buy moulds from Amazon in packs of two or four. They are great for shaping pancakes, eggs, potato cakes and such.
- Make sure you cook the hash browns till golden brown. I never make them bigger than 1 and 1/2 inches thick, as per the photo below.
Gabriel Wilson
Happy Weekend!
Have a go at making these little delights. The ingredients are basic store cupboard foods but the result is anything but simple—they taste as good as any hash browns I've eaten in a diner. In fact, I believe they taste even better. My little critic loves them and she is a tough cookie when it comes to food. Happy weekend to everyone!
© 2021 Gabriel Wilson
