Potato Time! - Easy (and Cheap!) Hash Browns

Talk about an all purpose food!  The potato can be so many things, and generally are pretty cheap to boot.  You can mash them, roast them, BBQ them, bake them, fry them, the options are endless!  They can stand alone and/or be used as an ingredient.  The following recipe is a super easy recipe, but it is written for only one serving, FYI.  Our local stores have been having BOGO sales on 5 lb bags of potatoes recently, so take advantage of that and add some potatoes to your menu!

Easy (and Cheap!) Hash Browns:

1 large potato — $0.40
1-2 tbsp butter (from $1.00 4 oz stick) — $0.13
(or 1-2 tbsp of oil or cooking spray)
salt, pepper — negligible

Total cost: $0.53



Russets are probably easiest and most people have ‘em around. I don’t pre-cook the potatoes for hash browns because it’s thin enough, though for thicker home fries you might want to try that.
You can use either butter, oil, or cooking spray… but you should probably use at least something to prevent sticking and help browning. On my cast iron flat grill I’ve gotten away with using very little oil or cooking spray. If you’re using a pan, try using a non-stick surface one first… it’ll allow you to use less oil. Butter really makes the potatoes brown nicely, however, so you might want to experiment.
Peel and wash the potato(es). Heat up the pan/griddle and oil/butter it. Meanwhile, grate the potato finely. What I like to do is put the grated potato in a paper towel or cheesecloth and squeeze the heck out of it. A considerable amount of water will drain out.
Scatter the potatoes on the grill and cook until brown on one side. Try and always keep the potatoes spread thinly instead of clumped up together. Flip it with a spatula and cook until desired doneness is achieved. Salt and pepper to taste.

The nice thing about hash browns is that you can make them as simple or as fancy as you want, add any toppings or stir ins that sound good, diced onions, crushed red pepper, diced green or red peppers, a little diced ham, or my personal fave, melted cheese on top with a sprinkle of choped scallions or chives.  Yummo!







Picture courtesy of The Daily Grub, great blog!  Recipe courtesy of Cheap Eats.