If you have never had a Waffle House hash brown, what have you been doing all this time? Their hash browns are out of this world and no one even comes close.
Although you might be thinking, “How can this be? A hash brown is basically just seasoned fried potatoes. What makes theirs any different?”
Well, let me tell you. Yes, Waffle house might not use any different spices or ingredients than most restaurants to make their hash browns, however, the major difference comes in the way they prepare them.
The Waffle House menu has taken a page out of the fine dining books and similar techniques. This creates a much better hash brown that is superior in texture and even taste.
How To Make Waffle Houses Hash Browns
Fill a large bowl with water and ice cubes. Add the teaspoon of salt and stir through.
Peel all of the potatoes and grate them directly into the ice water. Cover the bowl with saran or plastic wrap and place in the refrigerator to soak for 2 hours.
Once ready, strain the potatoes and squeeze out all of the excess water (see the Tips & Tricks section as to why).
Season the grated potatoes with more salt and black pepper and mix through well.
Heat some olive oil in a cast-iron skillet and add a quarter of potato mixture. Spread the potatoes evenly and fry for 5-10 minutes or until golden brown and crispy (the amount of time will depend on the heat of your pan).
Turn the hash brown over and fry another 3-5 minutes, until it just starts to become crispy.
Serve immediately while still hot with your favorite meal!
Waffle House Hash Browns Recipe
Course: AppetizersCuisine: AmericanDifficulty: Easy4
servings2
hours10
minutes15
minutes330
kcalThis is the best hash brown recipe ever that is both easy and delicious! Only one restaurant you can copy to replicate these and that has to be Waffle House Hash Browns recipe.
Ingredients
1 teaspoon 1 fine salt
4 large potatoes
Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste
Olive oil
Directions
- Before starting with the potatoes, fill a large bowl with water and ice to create an ice bath. Stir in the 1 teaspoon of fine salt.
- As you are working with the potatoes, constantly keep them in the ice bath to prevent them from discoloring (oxidizing) whilst you are not working with them.
- Firstly, you will need to wash and peel all of the potatoes. Next, you will need to either shred (roughly and finely chop) or grate the potatoes directly into the ice water.
- Once finished with all of the potatoes, cover the bowl with saran or plastic wrap and place in the refrigerator for 2 hours.
- Once this time has elapsed, remove the potatoes from the fridge and strain them over a colander or sieve. Squeeze or any excess moisture in the grated potatoes.
- Once most of the water has been squeezed out, season the mixture with some salt and freshly ground black pepper.
- In a large cast-iron skillet, heat some olive oil over medium-high heat. Once heated, add a quarter of the potatoes into the pan and spread them out until an even layer forms. You have to press the mixture slightly to create a nice, dense hash brown.
- Allow the hash brown to fry until golden brown on one side, anywhere between 5-10 minutes depending on the heat of your pan.
- Carefully flip the hash brown over and cook it on the other side for about 3-5 minutes, until it just starts to crisp up.
- Serve warm as is with delicious sour cream or as an accompaniment for your favorite meal.
Notes
- Use the medium grater side when grating the potatoes. This will allow the hash browns to have a great texture and still be able to combine nicely.
- The reason you allow the grated potatoes to soak in water, despite having to remove all of it later, is because this soaking period allows the potato pieces to absorb water and soften up (like they would during steaming).
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Tips & Tricks
The addition of salt to this mixture will help the potatoes gain flavor and become soft (it acts as a tenderizer).
If you are short on time, you do not have to place the grated potatoes in the refrigerator for 2 hours. Simply allow them to sit for 15 minutes. You will end up with a much crunchier hash brown, but it will still be very tasty.
- It is extremely important to squeeze out as much water as possible for multiple reasons.
Firstly, when you are trying to form your hash brown in the pan, the potato pieces will not be able to bind with each other if they are soaking wet.
Secondly, the excessive amount of water will leach out even more during cooking (due to the addition of heat and salt) and will create a diluted, soggy and messy hash brown.
Also, for the hash brown to become crispy, there cannot be any water present. Items crisps up due to the lack of moisture and any excess amounts will not be able to evaporate and create a crispy, golden brown product.
Lastly, it is extremely dangerous to mix oil with water, especially when you are cooking on an open flame. When oil is very hot, like it should be for this hash brown, once the soggy potatoes are added, the oil will start to splatter everywhere, having the potential to harm someone.
- You can adjust the size of the has brown by either making smaller individually portioned discs or by using different sized skillets. You can also make use of an egg ring or metal cookie cutter to shape the smaller-sized hash browns.
- This hash brown is very versatile as you can add different types of fresh herbs and spices to create unique and complementary flavors. For an extra bit of flair, add some finely grated parmesan cheese and mix it through the potatoes just before frying them.
Conclusion
This is the best and only recipe you need to make hash browns. Despite the 2 hour soaking time, this recipe is still very quick to make and also very easy. You can ever get your kids to join in!
Try this recipe now to experience what a hash brown should taste like. Serve them fresh and hot along with your favorite meal or even as is – they’re that delicious!
