Crispy Hash Brown How-To

I get a lot of cooking questions like, “What makes a really good crispy fried hash browns?” Now there ain’t no telling how many bags of taters I fried up before I figured it out… but I did figure it out. 

Number 1:
Use clarified butter. Removing the fats from butter gives it a higher burn temp and great for frying taters. To clarify butter: melt the butter over a a medium- high heat. I When it goes to melting, you’ve got to stir it constantly. You’ll begin to see it bubble up and white foam will appear. Skim the foam off the top. You can also pour the butter through a coffee filter to catch the fats. Remove from the heat and let rest.

Number 2:
Use a peeled russet tater and rinse well. After you’ve peeled the tater go ahead and grate it into a bowl filled with cool water. You’ll notice the water turn murky due to the starch. Keep rinsing and draining the peeled taters until the water is clear.
You may need to do this three of four times.

Number 3:
Use a tea towel to dry the taters. You can’t use a paper towel because it won’t absorb enough moisture. Use a towel and gently press the taters to draw up as much moisture as possible. Fluff them up before cooking.

Number 4:
Use a cast iron skillet.

Number 5:
You need a lid! Place the skillet over a medium-high heat. Pour about 3 tablespoons of the clarified butter in the skillet until it begins to bubble slightly. Add your taters to the skillet and pat it down gently until about 1/2 –inch of so thick. Cover with a lid which will create a steam effect and help the inside of the hash brown cook. Let it go for about 5 minutes and then flip. Cook to a rich golden brown.

Watch the video…