Let's be real, any potato is a good potato... but if you want to make the BEST Homemade Hash Browns ever, all it takes is a little work the day before!
Originally published July 24, 2020. Updated on 2/24/2023
You know Bubba rattling off all the shrimp dishes in Forest Gump? Swap it out for potatoes, and that’s me.
Of course, Perogies are my first love (Winnipeg represent!), but Scalloped Potatoes have been way up there, since I was very young. Potato Sausage, Gnocchi, Potato Salad, Smoked French Fries, and - of course - Poutine.
So many things you can do with potatoes!
Today, I want to talk about homemade hashbrowns.
Golden hash browns are such a great accompaniment to almost any breakfast, I’m honestly surprised that I didn’t form much of an opinion on the subject before a few years ago!
Of course, I’d always appreciate restaurant home fries style hash browns even more.
I’d say “Any port in a storm”, but ... again, any potato is a good potato - and crispy hash browns are always great, in my book! 🙂
My easy hash brown recipe may not be the most traditional - technically, it’s probably more of a “breakfast potatoes” recipe, as I don’t use shredded potatoes.
... but, hey, no box grater, food processor, or potato ricer needed, so that’s a win, right?
Anyway, I stumbled across my method for perfect hash browns when I was repurposing some leftover potatoes from ANOTHER great recipe...
The Inspiration
15 years ago or so, I got really into making Low Country Boil for summer dinners at home.
Low Country Boil - or “Frogmore Stew” - is a beautiful thing, especially when you really run wild with it.
I don’t even remember how I got started with it, but it was a pretty basic preparation.
That eventually morphed into doing really flavourful broth preparations for it, which elevated the whole thing immensely.
The items used to flavour it - as well as the actual food items to be served as the meal - would make a broth so rich with flavour, it permeated the potatoes as they cooked.
Not only would the potatoes taste great with the meal itself, we soon learned that leftover potatoes, chopped up and fried, ended up being the best way to make crispy potatoes for breakfast time the next day.
*Chef’s kiss*
Not only are the potatoes flavoruful, the excess starch is removed during the initial boil, paving the way for a gloriously crispy exterior when fried up.
SO good!
We only tend to make Low Country Boil in the summertime, because that’s when fresh corn is in season.
So, we had to adapt things to be able to have great hash browns year round.
The BEST Hash Browns Ever!
This breakfast side dish recipe, takes the idea behind the Low Country Boil potatoes, without having to make the actual meal itself.
What we usually do is make a big batch of these once a week or so. We make the broth, we boil and chill the potatoes, and we keep them in a covered container in the fridge.
As we make hash browns, we take out what we need and fry them up fresh.
That way, the bulk of the effort - the broth and boiling the potatoes - happens once, and makes for a really convenient breakfast, going forward.
Pan frying the boiled potatoes is quicker and easier than using frozen grated browns, and also provides a much nicer texture.
The boiling means that the potatoes are already cooked all the way through, by the time they hit the pan. All you’re doing is heating them through and crisping up the outsides, no worry about raw potato.
That’s the one caveat to my “every potato is a good potato” thing - under-cooked potatoes in hash browns make me sad.
Same for burnt hash browns, when the insides aren’t cooking fast enough.
This breakfast potato recipe is the easiest way to prevent BOTH sad outcomes, without much in the way of extra work.
Though - as you’ll see - this isn’t so much an actual recipe, as a set of vague guidelines.
A Note on Servings
Because this is more of a technique than an actual recipe, the servings are very... Arbitrary.
You can make as much or as little as you want, and what you use will impact the final nutritional values.
Also, frankly, I have no idea what an actual “serving size” of hash browns is. I’m not gonna judge you, don’t judge me 🙂
Ingredients
This recipe uses really simple ingredients that can be found in any grocery store - we’re talking about flavoured potatoes, after all!
A few notes for you:
Fresh Potatoes
I prefer to use waxy potatoes for this, rather than starchy potatoes (like russet potatoes).
IMHO, new-ish red potatoes are the best potatoes for this, but Yukon gold potatoes are good options as well.
Broth
Your starter broth can be whatever you’re in the mood for.
I like chicken broth, but sometimes use vegetable broth, as they’re fairly neutral flavours.
This comes in handy when making a batch of hashbrown potatoes to last the week, as we don’t usually know what exactly we’ll be serving with it.
You can use mushroom broth or beef broth if you’d like, even seafood if you’re feeling adventurous.
Beef broth is nice when you use these hash browns to make corned beef hash, for instance (Beer works really nicely for that, also!)
When we use beer, we usually go for something pretty mildly flavoured, like a Molson, Labatt, or Corona.
IPAs can be fun if you want a breakfast with a bit more flavour kick, though!
Base Flavour Ingredients
There are all kinds of different ways to flavor your broth. For best results, I like to use a mixture of fresh flavor ingredients, and dried - like herbs and spices.
In terms of fresh ingredients, we never skimp on the onions and garlic.
Usually I’ll throw some celery in - it’s a good way to use up the tops and insides of any celery bunch we may have in the fridge.
Beyond that, peppers are another hugely important ingredient in our versions of this. We usually add a fair amount of jalapeno pepper.
Sometimes a habanero, but we find the jalapeno has a more “neutral” - maybe “versatile” is a better word? - flavour when it comes to working with other breakfast items.
The fruitiness of the habanero tends to clash with some things, IMHO.
The big thing to remember is to add way more than you think you need, whatever ingredient we’re talking about.
You’re not making broth in the sense of making something you’d eat as a soup or sip on, think of it more like making a sludge of flavours that would be WAY too potent to consume on its own.
Trust me on this: Over-flavour the broth, for the best results!
Accent Flavour Ingredients
Once you’ve got a good base going, you can round it out with whatever herbs and spices you’d like - again, just think ahead to the breakfasts you like to make, and what all would go well with them.
Dried Rosemary, Dried Sage, Dried Thyme, etc are great.
Use some Garlic Powder and / or Onion Powder to add a bit of complexity to the garlic and onion flavours from the fresh ingredients.
Add a bit of prepared mustard (The real stuff, not that yellow nonsense! I like Kozlik’s Mustard best of all, but even grocery store Dijon works well), or just some Mustard Powder. Almost any form of mustard is a delicious addition to these potatoes!
Mustard Seeds work, you’ll just want to use a sieve afterwards, rather than fishing items out.
Toss a Bay Leaf in, some Ground Black Pepper, etc.
Have you discovered the joys of Smoked Serrano Powder? Toss that in, too!
Cayenne Pepper , Chili Powder, Crushed Chilies, Hatch Chile Powder, and/or Jalapeno Powder are other great options for adding a bit of kick.
Just get ridiculous with it. It’ll pay off in the end!
Fat
Finally, you’ll need some kind of fat to cook this in.
I usually use some melted butter, olive oil, or vegetable oil.
If I’ll be serving them with bacon, I’ll cook the bacon first, and use some of the leftover bacon fat to cook the potatoes in - SO good!
Follow the directions in the recipe below to get the potatoes done up, and enjoy!
Variations
While I love these homemade hash browns just as is- fried, flavoured potatoes - you can also add stuff during or after the frying process.
Fry up some chopped bell peppers, onions, breakfast sausage, or crispy bacon with the potatoes.
Top the finished hash browns with shredded cheddar cheese or leftover cheese sauce for cheesy potatoes! (I like to top this with a bit of sour cream and some sliced green onions!)
On that lines, you can make something like “breakfast nachos” with these hashbrowns as a base.
Equipment
Aside from a cutting board and a sharp knife, you’ll need two main pieces of basic kitchen equipment:
1. A pot to boil the potatoes in. I’ll usually use a medium sized pot for this.
2. A large frying pan to fry the chilled potatoes in. You can use a large nonstick skillet or a cast iron skillet.
More Breakfast and Brunch Recipes
Looking for more ideas to jazz up your breakfast experience! Here are a few more recipes for you:
Ambrosia Belgian Waffles
Apple Cinnamon Buns
Baking Powder Biscuits
Biscuits and Gravy - MY Way!
Blueberry Banana Bread
Breakfast Bagel Strata
Breakfast Pizza
Chai Cinnamon Rolls
Deluxe Pizza Strata
Easy Banana Bread
Easy Cheese Souffle
Eggless Banana Bread
Fig, Honey, and Goat Cheese Strudel
Ham & Swiss Breakfast Pizza
Ham, Swiss, and Kale Strata
How to Make Peameal and Back Bacon
Maple Walnut Spiced Pumpkin Buns
Peanut Butter Banana Bread
Peanut Butter & Jelly Rolls
Rosemary Peach Balsamic Scones
Smoked Gouda and Chive Scones
Strawberry Orange Rolls
Looking for even quicker options? Check out my Muffin Recipes, too! There are also some fantastic Bagel Recipes on this blog...
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The BEST Hash Browns
Ingredients
- Broth of choice We usually use chicken
- Light tasting beer of choice Optional
- Celery ribs and/or leaves Optional
- Onion(s) Peeled and sliced
- Garlic Cloves Peeled
- Jalapenos, habaneros, or whatever Optional - sliced
- Mustard of choice Optional
- Herbs and spices of choice Dried sage, bay leaf, thyme, mustard powder, dried parsley, pepper
- 2 lbs Potatoes of Choice We usually use baby potatoes
- Butter or Olive Oil
Instructions
The day before you want to make the hash browns:
- First thing: get a pot of an appropriate size for the amount of potatoes you’re looking to cook. Fill it about ⅔ with broth.If you’re using beer, count that amount towards the ⅔ goal. This isn’t hard science, everything is an estimate!
- Break your celery into pieces that will fit in the pot, if using. I’ll usually just toss the tops/ insides of whatever celery we have lying around into the pot - it’s a great way to use it up!
- Peel and rough chop an onion or two into the pot. You’ll be straining out these pieces later, so large chunks are easier to fish out later!
- Add some garlic cloves to the pot. We usually go pretty heavy on them.
- Slice up some jalapenos or habaneros into the pot - use gloves if you have them! You’ll want to add more peppers than you think you’ll need - not all of the flavour that comes out of the peppers is actually going to make it into the potatoes. The broth in general should be WAY more potent than something you’d have as a soup.
- If using mustard, put a good tablespoon or more in - everything is to your taste.
- Taste, season with whatever herbs and spices you’re using.
- Once you’ve got a good mix going, bring to a boil over medium heat or medium high heat. Turn heat down and simmer on low for 30 minutes or so.
- Once the time is up, use a slotted spoon to remove all the solids from the pot. Alternatively, strain through a mesh colander, into another pot.
- Bring broth up to a boil again.
- Chop potato into bite sized chunks. I usually cut baby potatoes into 4 pieces each, for reference. Add to the pot.
- Boil potatoes for about 15 minutes, or until just fork tender. Strain potatoes, allowing excess moisture to drip off as much as possible. Discard broth.
- Allow potatoes to cool to room temperature. Transfer potatoes to a large bowl, put in the fridge to chill overnight.
When you want to make the hash browns:
- Over medium-high heat, heat up a bit of butter or olive oil in a large skillet - a cast-iron skillet or non-stick skillet. Don’t use too much oil - just enough to give a light coating to the amount of potatoes you’ll be frying.
- Add potatoes to the hot skillet, brown potatoes over medium-high heat until potatoes are golden brown and crispy.
- Serve hot!
Leftovers:
- Once cooled to room temperature, leftover hashbrowns can be stored in an airtight container in the fridge for several days. Best reheated in an air fryer, if possible.
Nutrition
Sean
Heck yes. Crispy on the outside, fluffy on the inside, hashbrown-y goodness. I've never actually seen a hashbrown recipe with this level of flavour building, and I LOVE it! Fantastic stuff, and definitely worth the extra effort.
Kristen
Yep, I'm about this - hashbrowns have to be crispy on the outside! This is exactly the way we like them.