Delicious Crispy Hash Browns

I’ve always associated hash browns with classic diner fare, and left them there. However, I’ve been working on a breakfast burrito recipe on the request of several readers, and everyone has suggested including potatoes. Hash browns seemed like the easiest way to incorporate crispy potatoes.

Soggy hash browns have no business on my plate. Crispy hash browns or bust!

Hash browns are easy to make. Basically, all you have to do is grate up some potato, rinse off the starch, squeeze it dry, and cook the potato in a skillet with oil until crispy.

I found some areas of nuance, of course. To enhance the flavor, I tossed grated potato with salt, garlic powder and onion powder before cooking. The garlic and onion powder flavors are subtle, but they make these golden hash browns absolutely irresistible. I’ve used this trick with my roasted breakfast potatoes, potato wedges and mashed potatoes, too.

How to Make Crispy Hash Browns

My other trick to making these hash browns remarkably delicious is to cook them in extra-virgin olive oil. Yep! Extra-virgin olive oil actually has a pretty high smoke point (around 400 to 425 degrees Fahrenheit, contrary to what you might have heard over the years).

I cook these hash browns over medium heat just to be safe. Cooking over high heat is tricky no matter what kind of oil you’re using. Depending on your pan and your stove, it’s just too easy to burn your food over medium-high or high heat.

If you follow my recipe, you’ll stir the potatoes and press them back down against the skillet every two minutes. That’s just long enough for the potatoes to get crispy; stirring ensures that some of the potatoes don’t burn while the rest are left uncooked.

Lastly, you’ll transfer the hash browns to a plate lined with a paper towel to absorb some of the excess oil. I assume the nutrition facts offered under the recipe are a little inflated in fat content, but I can’t account for how much oil is left in the pan and on the paper towel.

Regardless, these hash browns are a more nutritious option than diner hash browns cooked in highly refined vegetable oil. They offer more complex flavor than standard hash browns, too, since they’re cooked in olive oil with garlic and onion powder until golden and crispy.

What makes these hash browns the best?

In summary:

Rinsing the grated potatoes and drying them well removes excess starch and helps the potato cook to irresistible, crispy perfection.
Cooking the potatoes with garlic, powder onion powder and olive oil makes them far more flavorful than diner hash browns.
Cooking over moderate heat and stirring the potatoes every couple of minutes ensures that you don’t burn your hash browns.

Homemade hash browns go great with eggs, cooked any which way (here are all of my egg recipes). I think they would be especially great with this broccoli cheddar frittata.

Cook up these hash browns for a casual weekend breakfast or serve them to friends for brunch!

Watch How to Make Hash Browns

Please leave a comment to let me know how these turn out for you. Your star ratings with your comment is much appreciated, too (those help convince other visitors that the recipe is worth making!). Have a great weekend!