When you need to feed a crowd, why make batch after batch of individual hash browns when you can make one giant one?
I am yet to find a form of potatoes I don’t like. Mashed, fried, roasted, pureed, smashed, soup, salad, gnocchi, rosti, hasselbacks, gratin, stuffed, croquette, chips….the list goes on and on. And hash browns are right at the top of the list. I can’t think of a better way to start a day than with a salty, crispy, greasy, moist, freshly made hash brown. Plus, it’s the ultimate hangover cure.
I found a recipe for a skillet hash brown in Bon Appetit about a year ago and made it the very next day. So handy! One giant hash brown instead of slaving away on the stove making batch after batch. You can feed 4 to 6 people with this recipe. For me, this serves 4. I think normal people without portion control issues would probably feed 6 (in which case it’s less than 200 calories per serving).
I made a few adjustments to the recipe I found in Bon Appetit. Firstly, it calls for 1/2 cup of oil which I really think is excessive. Also it says to cook it for 10 to 15 minutes which, if you did, you would end up with black discs. So I’ve made these changes plus rewritten the directions for the way I make this recipe.
The key to a hash brown with a golden crunchy crust is to rinse the grated potato until the water runs clear. This removes the starch from the potato and helps make it crunchy. Also, it stops the potato from going brown.
This is a great recipe for feeding a crowd! You can make it about 1 hour in advance and it will reheat wonderfully, with a crunchy crust while still being moist on the inside. I’ve even made it the night before and it still reheats crunchy but I thought the inside was not quite as moist. It could be that I’m being too fussy because my friends certainly didn’t complain!
When the hash brown cools, the crust will become soft. The key to reheating it so it gets the crunchy crust again is to have the oven on fairly high at 200C/390F. If you have a pizza tray, the ones with holes in it, this will give you the best results with reheating because the bottom will get direct heat and crisp up even better than if you just use a normal baking tray.
My last piece of advice to make a perfect hash brown is to use the right potato. You need to use starchy potatoes for hash browns as they breakdown when cooked, becoming nice and fluffy on the inside and golden and crunchy on the outside. The best to use are Russet (common in the US), dutch creams, King Edwards or red delight. However, great all rounders like golden delight, coliban, red rascal and Sebago (popular in Australia) still works great.
I use Sebago which are the brushed potatoes you can get from any supermarket in Australia (ie. the ones with dirt on them). If you are based in the US, a great all rounder to use is Russet which I understand is one of the most widely used potatoes in the US.
Do not use waxy potatoes like red pontiac and desiree – when cooked, they hold their shape making them perfect for things like using in casseroles and potato salad, but are not suitable for things like hash browns.
Reach out if you have any questions, I’ll be sure to answer them! Love to hear if you try this!
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Giant Hash Brown
Ingredients
- 1 kg / 2 lb potatoes (starchy - see notes)
- 1 tsp salt (plus more to taste)
- Black pepper
- 4 tbsp extra virgin olive oil , separated
Instructions
- Peel and grate the potatoes, placing the grated potato into a large bowl of water (this stops the potato from going brown while you continue grating).
- Using a large colander, rinse the potato until the water comes clear (to remove the starch which keeps the potato from going brown as well as making it crispy).
- Working a handful at a time, squeeze out the excess water and place into the bowl.
- Mix in 1 tbsp of olive oil, salt and pepper.
- Heat 2 tbsp olive oil in a 22cm/9 inch non stick pan over medium high heat.
- Place shredded potato mixture in pan, spread out and lightly pat down with a spatula. It should be about 1.5cm/0.6" thick.
- Cook for 5 to 8 minutes until golden brown and crispy. Use a spatula to lift a corner to check for doneness.
- Get a large plate and slide the hash brown onto it.
- Place the pan on top of the plate, then quickly flip upside down. Use a tea towel if you need so you can hold onto the fry pan when flipping. Don't worry if it breaks when you flip it, it's salvageable!
- Drizzle the remaining 1 tbsp of oil around the edges of the fry pan. If your hash brown broke when you flipped it, use a spatula to lightly pat it back into shape.
- Cook until golden brown and crispy, about 4 to 6 minutes. Use a spatula to lift up to check.
- Slide out of the plan onto a serving plate. Season with additional salt if required. To serve, garnish with chopped parsley (optional) and cut into wedges.
Recipe Notes:
Nutrition Information:
I was looking for a recipe for croquettes but your hash browns came up instead. Do you make croquettes? Do you have a recipe? Thank you in advance.
Thank you for the lovely recipe it does benefit from a slower cool on lower heat. Plus adding extra flavours keeps it from being bland. A fantastic rosti!
Your tips helped me cook the perfect hash brown.
Thanks
As a complete novice I live your recipes. Put some bacon in this giant one to get the best of both worlds. Made it a little thick so cooking a little longer. Can’t wait to get stuck in!
Made this twice over the weekend, turned out great both times. I am thinking of ways to jazz it up next, might add some herbs/spices to the grated potato before frying.
Also, I used brushed potatoes from Woolies as well, didn’t rinse them under water, only squeezed them dry and they still came out super crispy on the outside, fluffy on the inside. Thanks again Nagi!
Sounds amazing Brinda!
It took me a couple of attempts to get this perfect but my third go came out perfectly. I do find that cooking it for longer over a lower heat (15 min a side, medium heat) makes for a beautifully golden crust and I also prefer to cook it in butter, just browned which also contributes to the delicious flavour. I like to add some very finely diced garlic and chopped rosemary and parsley (only because that’s what I have in the garden currently) to the grated potatoes… I rinse and wring mine out in a sieve lined with chux dishcloths because I’m lazy and it’s way easier… and I have found this to be the ABSOLUTELY PERFECT base for Eggs Florentine. Like, I made this for brunch last weekend and got marriage proposals even though my husband was right there (he may have been slightly smug about the whole thing, until it was time to clear the table at least, ha ha!)
The best advice I can offer other readers is to make sure you have a plate big enough to easily invert your frying pan or skillet onto easily!!! And as much as I want to try this in my Lodge cast iron, I don’t think I have the strength and coordination to juggle that sucker without risking it all.
A winner for me, for sure!
Sounds like you nailed it Chris, I’m so glad it worked for you in the end!
Hi Nagi,
Will be giving this a run for our family Easter Breakfast. I’m going to grate the potatoes the night before rinse and seal in a zip bag. I’m pretty sure they will be good to go in the morning.
PS … your site is the best.
Hi Nagi, Im guessing and hoping this hash brown could be cooked in the oven in a pie dish??? I can see this all breaking up for me as in the past with similar type dishes.
Hi Julie! I do a hash brown quiche in a pie dish in the oven so I’m 99% sure this will work just fine too! 🙂 N x
Great, I was hoping you’d say that :). thanks
The other day I cut up steak fries and made my hubby home fries out of them. He loved them.
I ate them the next day cold. Very good
Do you stack the hash browns on top of each other is that how it’s thick? I’m sorry I don’t understand recipe
Hi Leana! Nope, it is just one GIANT hash brown, put all the potatoes in one skillet at the same time!
Hiya,
Has Browns to me seem to almost be a traditional rosti, except they are formed into a shape.
I follow pretty much the same recipe and process to make either hash browns or rosti (depending on the occasion), however I spread the potato onto a terry cloth and lightly sprinkle with salt (helps remove the moisture and starch) and then ‘wring it out’. The remainder is the same process and it still produces a moist inside, crunchy outside giant hash brown.
For me the advantage of following the traditional rosti process is you can add other herbs / spices as you like (say some paprika, garlic / onion powder, even herbs de provence)
Oooh, I do love rosti too! And totally agree that the extra flavourings are fab! 🙂
Hi, I have just tried this and I thought that maybe rinsing it so many times made it harder to cook, removing all of the starch seems trivial. I also thought that perhaps 1 kilo of potato was too much and possibly 800-900 would be more appropriet
This is actually a very common and popular Swiss dish called Roesti (“roastie”, because it’s roasted)! You can also make it from boiled potatoes from the day before – just peel them and you don’t have to rinse them anymore. We usually serve it with sliced meat and sauce, or mushroom sauce, and vegetables. Also, we usually use butter/margarine instead of vegetable oil, it adds a lot to the taste and you can take a bit of butter and slide it around the pan while it’s cooking, this makes the outer crust crispier 🙂
Thanks, I might try that next time! as it is it took a lot longer to cook and it kept falling apart. it may be something about the way that I did it but it is a great recipe
I didn’t know! Wowee!!! I’m off to do some research on it 🙂 Is it as thick as mine or more like a giant thinner roesti? in Australia, Roesti is much thinner than this giant hash brown! 🙂
It’s as thick as yours, it looks mostly the same 🙂 I didn’t know you have roesti in Australia! You can also roast some onions (in tiny squares) and/or bacon (in squares, too) in the pan and then add the potatoes and mix it a bit and then prepare as usual – that’s a roesti Bernese 🙂 or put cheese in it – or spices (cumin is quite common) – or all of it 🙂
That sounds ridiculously delicious! I think I’ll make it – and share it on my blog!! I had no idea that cumin was a spice used in Austria. 🙂 Australia doesn’t have roesti as a traditional dish but it is served at Austrian/German/Schnitzel restaurants, as well as modern australian restaurants, cafes etc. Great with eggs for breakfast! It’s well known, that’s for sure!
This looks so good and much healthier than the ready made stuff!!
Definitely much healthier than the ready made stuff!! 🙂
I love this idea and will be trying it over the holidays. Thanks for sharing a great post!!
Thanks for your kind words Susie!! I would love to know what you think if you try it!
I love the idea of a giant hash brown, but I wouldn’t want to share. Great recipe.
Thanks Janette!! It is always tempting not to share … 🙂
this looks fantastic. I made it a week back but no where compared to yours. Yours looks so gorgeous!!!
Oh wow, really Priya?! I must go check yours out!!
Hello, i am curious…. can i add more things to the batch…. when you mix it all up is it possible to add cheese and chives to take it to another level or will it burn????
Cant wait to try this recipe.
Hi Samantha! Cheese and chives would be a FANTASTIC addition and no, the cheese shouldn’t burn as long as you don’t add an enormous amount in! I would suggest 1 cup of grated cheese would be a good amount. In fact, the cheese will help bind it even more so it will be easier to handle 🙂 And chives would be a great addition to freshen up the flavour a bit. Thanks for the idea! 🙂
…sorry that’s any juggling acts.
Don’t worry, I figured it out! 🙂
Putting the plate on top of the skillet and turning them both over at the same time will stop and juggling acts 🙂
Very true Julie!