Huge Hash Browns
Prep
10m
Cook
15m
Total
25m
Bigly says
Folks. HUGE hash browns. The crispiest, golden-est, most tremendous hash browns ever made by a human in a kitchen. I say this with love, with the love of a man who has eaten hash browns at every diner from Bangor to Bakersfield, twice, more diners than any single person you know — and most hash browns out there are a CRIME. Pale. Greasy. Limp little potato shavings that taste like nothing. They come out and you look at them and you think, 'who hurt the potato.' Because someone hurt the potato. Someone failed the potato. Sad.
The secret — and I'm giving this to you for FREE, no popup that takes over your whole phone screen, no cookie banner with 18 toggles, no 'allow notifications' demand from a site you've never heard of, no autoplay video of some chef talking about their grandmother's farm in Tuscany before they get to the recipe, which by the way nobody asked, we asked for hash browns — the secret is moisture. You have to GET RID of the moisture. Potatoes are like 80 percent water. Maybe 90. I've heard 90. That water is your enemy. That water is the reason your hash browns are mushy and pale instead of crispy and golden. WRING IT OUT. Squeeze it. Punish the potato. The potato will thank you.
Then — and this is where the other so-called chefs FAIL, where they collapse, where they fold — you put it in the pan and you DO NOT TOUCH IT. Do not stir. Do not flip. Do not poke. Do not look at it sideways. You let it sit. You let it commit. You let it develop a CRUST, a beautiful golden crackling crust the food chemists call the Maillard reaction. Brown is flavor. Pale is failure. Brown wins. End of discussion.
Ingredients
- 2 lb (about 3 large)russet potatoes(russets only, waxy potatoes will not crisp, it's a fact)
- 1 tspkosher salt
- 1/2 tspfreshly cracked black pepper
- 1/2 tspgarlic powder
- 1/2 tsponion powder
- 3 tbspunsalted butter
- 2 tbspneutral oil (canola or vegetable)(the oil keeps the butter from burning, both work together)
Steps
- 1
Peel the potatoes and grate them on the large holes of a box grater into a large bowl of cold water. The water keeps them from oxidizing while you work.
- 2
Drain the grated potatoes in a colander, then transfer in batches to a clean kitchen towel or several layers of cheesecloth.
- 3
Wring out the potatoes HARD over the sink. You want them as dry as humanly possible — this is the most important step. Keep squeezing until almost no liquid comes out.
- 4
Transfer the dry potatoes to a clean bowl. Toss with salt, pepper, garlic powder, and onion powder until evenly seasoned.
- 5
Heat a 10- or 12-inch cast iron or heavy nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Add the oil and 2 tablespoons of the butter and swirl until the butter is melted and foamy.
- 6
Add the potatoes to the pan in an even layer, about 1/2-inch thick. Press down firmly with a spatula to compact them into a single pancake.
- 7
Cook undisturbed for 6-8 minutes. Do not stir. Do not lift. The bottom should be deep golden brown and a spatula should slide under cleanly.
- 8
Add the remaining tablespoon of butter to the edges of the pan, let it melt, then flip the hash browns in one motion (use a plate to invert if needed). Press down again.
- 9
Cook the second side undisturbed for another 5-7 minutes, until equally deep golden brown and crispy.
- 10
Slide onto a cutting board, cut into wedges, and serve immediately while screaming hot.
One more thing
There it is. Crispy on the outside, soft in the middle, golden brown all the way around, the kind of hash browns the diner has been LYING to you about for years. Years. They wanted you to think this was hard. They wanted you to keep coming back and paying eight dollars for a side. Not anymore. You know the secret now. Wring out the water. Don't touch the pan. Brown is flavor. You've graduated. Now go eat.
★ QUESTIONS ABOUT THIS ONE? ★
Ask Bigly about Huge Hash Browns.
Substitutions, what to serve it with, why other chefs are wrong about it. He's got opinions.
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