Crispy Salty Hash browns – An Ode to the Waffle House

Boy, I sure do miss going to the Waffle House on a weekend morning for breakfast. I miss the people watching, which never disappoints. I miss the pork chops which I order for breakfast almost every time, and of course, I miss the hashbrowns.

It wasn’t until later in life that I started to add toppings to my hashbrowns, and once I did I wondered what took me so long. My favorite way to eat them now is ‘covered’ with cheese and ‘peppered’ with pickled jalapeños.

After a lot of trial and error, this is the easiest and best way to make the perfect hashbrowns, in my opinion. The reason being, you typically have to shred, soak, drain and dry the potatoes before you even begin. This method eliminates all that. I use a potato ricer which my mother gave me years ago and it not only makes the perfect hashbrowns , it makes really good mashed potatoes as well. This is like an elevated hashbrown, technically a Swiss potato rosti.

Yes you can use a food processor or hand grater, but this is the easist way, since the ricer removes the potato skins for you. Sort of like a garlic press! They are fluffy in the middle and really crispy on the outside, unlike the Waffle House version which uses dehydrated potatoes that are still al dente or undercooked inside.

*You will need to cook the potatoes in advance and allow to cool completely. The shredded or ‘riced’ potatoes can be prepped a day or two in advance and kept covered in the fridge making this a great option for entertaining.

INGREDIENTS:

• 2 large russet potatoes, cut into large chunks
• kosher salt
• 2 tbsp. neutral oil such as grapeseed or canola
• 2 tbsp. unsalted butter, cut into a small dice
• toppings – whatever you want! (I use shredded sharp cheddar and pickled jalapeños)
• Flake salt, such as Maldon

DIRECTIONS:

Place the potatoes in a pot and cover by an inch with cold water. Bring to a boil, add a big pinch of salt (2 tbsp. or more) and continue to keep at a manageable boil until they are cooked completely, 15-20 minutes.

Drain the potatoes, return to the pot and place back on the burner which has been turned off, allowing the potatoes to dry out a little from the residual heat. Now allow the potatoes to cool completely.

Press the potatoes through the ricer into a bowl. Add at least a tbsp. of salt and toss the potatoes gently to distribute the salt.At this point you can wrap them up and keep in the fridge or you can cook them!

Preheat oven to 425. I like to use a 12” carbon steel pan because it is shallow, making it easy to flip the hashbrowns. You can also use a saute pan or a cast iron skillet. Heat the pan over medium heat for a few minutes. Add your oil. Just enough to be able to swirl and coat the bottom of the pan. Add half of the butter and melt until it’s starting to brown a little. Place a little piece of potato in the pan, and if it sizzles the pan is hot enough.

Once the pan is hot, add the potatoes all at once. Press them down with a spoon or spatula and cook for about 5 minutes so that they can brown on the bottom. You want to hear a sizzle but not so aggressive that they burn. Scatter the top with the remaining butter and place the pan in the oven and bake for 12 minutes. Remove the pan from the oven and very carefully, place a dinner plate on top of the potatoes and flip them over. Then slide them back into the pan, browned side up and return to the oven for 12 more minutes or until the underside is also crispy and brown.

Now you can top the potatoes with whatever you want and then pop them back into the oven under the broiler and cook for a couple of minutes to brown the toppings. I like to top with sharp cheddar & pickled jalapeños. Sprinkle with flake salt and serve.