Diner Hash Browns
Shredded russets squeezed dry, pressed flat in browned butter and cooked until dark golden and crisp on both sides, then folded and cut into wedges, the American diner way.
"Hash" comes from the French "hacher", to chop; hash browns first appeared on breakfast menus in New York City in the 1890s, the name shifted to "hash-brown potatoes", and they became a staple of North American diners, often cooked on big shared griddles (Wikipedia:). The early versions were chopped cooked potatoes, not raw shreds (see Rules). Today "hash browns" can mean shredded potatoes or diced ones (home fries), and they are sold refrigerated, frozen and dehydrated (Wikipedia).
🇺🇸 This one is American
Shredded russets squeezed dry, pressed flat in browned butter and cooked until dark golden and crisp on both sides, then folded and cut into wedges, the American diner way.
🕎 The original
The Eastern European original is grated potato and onion, squeezed dry, bound with egg and a little matzo meal or flour, and fried in oil for Hanukkah. See the Classic Potato Latkes recipe.
🗳️ Swiss rösti or diner hash browns? Vote: Rösti vs Hash browns →
📖 : Rösti vs Hash Browns: What's the Difference? →
Why it works the kitchen science
Russets
High-starch russets hold together, brown deeply and taste the most of potato; ATK tested other varieties and russets won.
Raw shreds, pressed flat
Grating releases starch that glues the shreds together, and pressing them flat against the hot pan builds the crisp, deeply browned crust.
Step by step
- Step 1
Heat the oven to 200°F. Squeeze the grated potatoes in a clean dish towel until very dry, then toss them with the salt and a few grinds of pepper. Divide into two portions.
- Step 2
Melt 1/2 tbsp butter in a 10-inch skillet over medium-high heat until it just begins to brown.
- Step 3
Scatter one portion of potatoes evenly over the pan and press firmly flat with a wide spatula. Lower the heat to medium and cook 7 to 8 minutes, until dark golden brown and crisp.
- Step 4
Turn the round out onto a large plate, browned side up. Add another 1/2 tbsp butter to the pan, slide the potatoes back in and cook 5 to 6 minutes more, until the second side is dark golden and crisp.
- Step 5
Fold the round in half and cook about 1 minute more. Slide onto a sheet pan and hold in the oven.
- Step 6
Repeat with the remaining butter and potatoes. Cut each round into wedges, sprinkle with chives and serve right away.
Diner Hash Browns
Serves 4 · two 10-inch rounds · 45 min total
- 2 lb russet potatoes, peeled, washed and dried, grated coarse and squeezed dry (about 3 cups loosely packed)
- 1/2 tsp salt
- Black pepper
- 2 tbsp butter
- Optional: snipped chives or scallion tops, for garnish
Method
- Heat the oven to 200°F. Squeeze the grated potatoes in a clean dish towel until very dry, then toss them with the salt and a few grinds of pepper. Divide into two portions.
- Melt 1/2 tbsp butter in a 10-inch skillet over medium-high heat until it just begins to brown.
- Scatter one portion of potatoes evenly over the pan and press firmly flat with a wide spatula. Lower the heat to medium and cook 7 to 8 minutes, until dark golden brown and crisp.
- Turn the round out onto a large plate, browned side up. Add another 1/2 tbsp butter to the pan, slide the potatoes back in and cook 5 to 6 minutes more, until the second side is dark golden and crisp.
- Fold the round in half and cook about 1 minute more. Slide onto a sheet pan and hold in the oven.
- Repeat with the remaining butter and potatoes. Cut each round into wedges, sprinkle with chives and serve right away.
Adapted from America's Test Kitchen, "Classic Hash Browns" (November 19, 2012), doubled from 1 lb to 2 lb and cooked as two rounds. ATK says its 1 lb round serves 4; with two rounds we serve 4 heartier portions. The 200°F holding oven for the first round is ours. America's Test Kitchen. Ingredient list follows the source; the method is in our own words.
All sources (2)
Tips
- Grate the potatoes just before cooking so they don't turn gray (ATK).
- For individual portions, divide each pound into quarters and cook about 5 minutes per side (ATK).
- ATK's flavor additions: 2 tbsp grated onion, a spoonful of herbs, or roasted garlic.
The rules people argue about
What the sources agree on, what they don't, and what is just a good story.
- The first hash brown recipe was printed in 1835 in Minnesota. Disputed: Wikipedia cites "brown hashed potatoes" in a Minnesota Farmers' Institute Annual dated 1835, but the Farmers' Institute lectures began in the 1880s (search results only), so the date looks wrong. Other writers credit Maria Parloa's "Kitchen Companion" (1887 or 1888) with the first "hashed brown potatoes"; we did not see either book.
- Hash browns are shredded. Disputed: Wikipedia says the American term covers both shredded and diced potatoes; early recipes chopped cooked potatoes.
- New York breakfast menus in the 1890s. Documented per Wikipedia.
- Diners cook them on a shared griddle. Documented per Wikipedia.
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