WHY THIS RECIPE WORKS:
This breakfast and brunch favorite can be more difficult than you might expect: The potatoes discolor, the potato cake falls apart when you try to flip it, and the exterior often burns before the interior is fully cooked. For our better hash browns, we prevented discoloration by rinsing the grated potatoes in salted water. This seasoned the potatoes and lowered the gelatinization temperature of the potato starch, which helped the shreds stick together. After squeezing excess water out of the potatoes, we parcooked them in the microwave, which removed moisture and jump-started the gelatinization process so that the potatoes were cohesive even before they went into the skillet. Molding the hash browns in a cake pan meant we didn’t have to fiddle with sticky potatoes in a pan of hot oil. It also made a smoother potato cake that was less likely to stick to the pan. We prefer using the shredding disk of a food processor to shred the potatoes, but you can use the large holes of a box grater if you prefer.
SERVES: 4 to 6
TOTAL TIME: 1 hour 15 minutes
INGREDIENTS:
- 4 teaspoons salt
- 2½ pounds Yukon Gold potatoes, peeled and shredded
- ¼ teaspoon pepper
- ¼ cup vegetable oil
INSTRUCTIONS:
- Spray 8-inch round cake pan with vegetable oil spray.Whisk 2 cups water and salt in large bowl until salt dissolves.Transfer potatoes to salt water and toss briefly to coat. Immediately drain in colander.
- Place 2½ cups potatoes in center of clean dish towel. Gather ends together and twist tightly to wring out excess moisture.
- Toss dried potatoes with pepper in large bowl. Microwave until very hot and slightly softened, about 5 minutes. Place remaining potatoes in towel and wring out excess moisture. Add to microwaved potatoes and toss with 2 forks until mostly combined (potatoes will not combine completely). Continue to microwave until potatoes are hot and form cohesive mass when pressed with spatula, about 6 minutes, stirring halfway through microwaving.
- Transfer potatoes to prepared pan and let cool until no longer steaming, about 5 minutes.
- Using your lightly greased hands, press potatoes firmly into pan to form smooth disk. Refrigerate until cool, at least 20 minutes or up to 24 hours (if refrigerating longer than 30 minutes, wrap pan with plastic wrap once potatoes are cool).
- Heat 2 tablespoons oil in 10-inch skillet over medium heat until shimmering. Invert potato cake onto plate and carefully slide cake into skillet.Cook, swirling skillet occasionally to distribute oil evenly and prevent cake from sticking, until bottom of cake is brown and crispy, 6 to 8 minutes. (If not browning after 3 minutes, turn heat up slightly. If browning too quickly, reduce heat.)Slide cake onto large plate. Invert onto second large plate.
- Heat remaining 2 tablespoons oil until shimmering.Carefully slide cake, browned side up, back into skillet. Cook, swirling skillet occasionally, until bottom of cake is brown and crispy, 5 to 6 minutes. Carefully slide cake onto plate and invert onto serving plate.Cut into wedges and serve.
