Hash Browns

Hash browns - an American breakfast favorite; it's as much as a favorite in our household. It's hard to come across someone who doesn't like potatoes fried in some way! We are all looking for different ways to make crispy potatoes :). 

Following the latkes, Anand wanted to have hash browns for breakfast. Pan fried grated apples reminded him of pan fried grated potatoes. 

Preparing hash browns is quite simple. Here is what I did:

1.  Peel 3-5 russet potatoes (or any kind of potatoes). Grate the potatoes on the largest hole/side of the grater to get long shreds as shown in the picture above.
2. Squeeze the grated potatoes to remove all the starchy fluid. This is an important step. 
3. To this, you may add a couple of spoons of rice flour (to make the potatoes extra crispy), and/or a spoon of curry powder, chilli powder, garam masala, or pepper. Alternatively, you can sprinkle the spice after the potatoes are fried. Do not add salt at this point, for salt is a deliquescent (I never thought I would use this term from Chemistry classes!). It basically absorbs moisture onto itself, thus making the potatoes a little soggy. If you do add salt at this stage (if you believe that salting potatoes before frying is better), squeeze the potatoes again to release the water, before you fry them. 
4. Add some oil to a cast-iron skillet (preferably), take some of the grated potatoes, press them on your palms to make them flat and place them on the skillet. Wait for the potatoes to turn golden-brown on either sides (about 3-4 minutes on each side). Remove the hash-browns and drain the excess oil on paper towels. 
5. If you haven't added any salt or spices, sprinkle some on top of the hot, fried, hash-browns. 

Serve with ketchup! You can also add some grated cheese to this and make it even more unhealthier ;). There is no denying that this soaks up quite a bit of oil. I used olive oil for frying, and thus pacified myself. A cast iron skillet would crisp the potatoes far more evenly than a regular non-stick pan. But, fried potatoes taste good no matter the kind of skillet used!