Make-Ahead Hash Brown Patties
Shredded Yukon Golds rinsed in salt water, wrung dry, microwaved until they bind, pressed into oval patties, chilled and pan-fried crisp, like the freezer-aisle patty, from scratch.
The single, formed hash brown patty is the version most Americans meet first, at a fast-food counter or from the freezer. McDonald's put hash browns on its national menu in 1977, when it added a full breakfast line with the Egg McMuffin, hotcakes and sausage, according to McDonald's archivist Mike Bullington, quoted by Food Republic (Dani Zoeller, April 4, 2025:). Wikipedia notes that hash browns are now sold refrigerated, frozen and dehydrated, and that in Britain the term usually means individual formed, deep-fried grated potato cakes. This homemade patty borrows America's Test Kitchen's trick for getting raw shreds to hold together.
🇺🇸 This one is American
Shredded Yukon Golds rinsed in salt water, wrung dry, microwaved until they bind, pressed into oval patties, chilled and pan-fried crisp, like the freezer-aisle patty, from scratch.
🕎 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.
Why it works the kitchen science
Salt water, then the microwave
A quick rinse in salted water stops the shreds from graying and lowers the temperature at which their starch sets; microwaving drives off water and starts that starch gelling, so the patties hold together before they hit the pan (ATK).
Shape cold, fry later
A chilled, pressed patty is firm and smooth, so it needs little oil and doesn't fall apart in the skillet (ATK's reasoning for its cake, applied to patties).
Step by step
- Step 1
Line a rimmed baking sheet with parchment and spray it with oil. Whisk the water and salt in a large bowl until dissolved. Toss the shredded potatoes in the salt water, then drain them right away in a colander.
- Step 2
Wring half the potatoes (about 2 1/2 cups) hard in a clean dish towel, put them in a large bowl with the pepper and microwave, uncovered, about 5 minutes, until very hot and slightly softened.
- Step 3
Wring out the rest of the potatoes, add them to the bowl and toss with two forks. Microwave about 6 minutes more, stirring halfway, until hot and the shreds hold together when pressed.
- Step 4
Let cool until they stop steaming, about 5 minutes. With lightly oiled hands, divide into 8 portions and press each into a firm, smooth oval about 1/2 inch thick on the sheet. Refrigerate at least 20 minutes (up to 24 hours, covered once cool).
- Step 5
Heat the oven to 200°F with a wire rack in a rimmed baking sheet. Heat 2 tbsp oil in a 12-inch skillet over medium heat until shimmering. Add 4 patties and cook 4 to 5 minutes, swirling the pan now and then, until the bottoms are brown and crisp.
- Step 6
Flip carefully with a thin spatula and cook 4 to 5 minutes more, until brown and crisp. Hold on the rack in the oven, add the remaining oil and cook the other 4 patties. Serve hot.
Make-Ahead Hash Brown Patties
Serves 4 · 8 patties · 1 hr 15 min total
- Vegetable oil spray
- 2 cups water
- 4 tsp salt
- 2 1/2 lb Yukon Gold potatoes, peeled and shredded
- 1/4 tsp black pepper
- 1/4 cup vegetable oil, for frying
Method
- Line a rimmed baking sheet with parchment and spray it with oil. Whisk the water and salt in a large bowl until dissolved. Toss the shredded potatoes in the salt water, then drain them right away in a colander.
- Wring half the potatoes (about 2 1/2 cups) hard in a clean dish towel, put them in a large bowl with the pepper and microwave, uncovered, about 5 minutes, until very hot and slightly softened.
- Wring out the rest of the potatoes, add them to the bowl and toss with two forks. Microwave about 6 minutes more, stirring halfway, until hot and the shreds hold together when pressed.
- Let cool until they stop steaming, about 5 minutes. With lightly oiled hands, divide into 8 portions and press each into a firm, smooth oval about 1/2 inch thick on the sheet. Refrigerate at least 20 minutes (up to 24 hours, covered once cool).
- Heat the oven to 200°F with a wire rack in a rimmed baking sheet. Heat 2 tbsp oil in a 12-inch skillet over medium heat until shimmering. Add 4 patties and cook 4 to 5 minutes, swirling the pan now and then, until the bottoms are brown and crisp.
- Flip carefully with a thin spatula and cook 4 to 5 minutes more, until brown and crisp. Hold on the rack in the oven, add the remaining oil and cook the other 4 patties. Serve hot.
Adapted from America's Test Kitchen, "Better Hash Browns" by Andrea Geary (January 23, 2017; Cook's Illustrated, March/April 2017). The salt rinse, wringing, two-stage microwaving, chilling and pan-frying in 1/4 cup oil are ATK's. ATK presses the potatoes into one 8-inch cake and serves 4 to 6; shaping 8 oval patties on a sheet pan, the per-side times for patties and the freezer tip are our changes. America's Test Kitchen. Ingredient list follows the source; the method is in our own words.
All sources (3)
Tips
- Freeze for later: freeze the shaped, chilled patties on the sheet until firm, then bag them. Fry from frozen over medium-low, adding 2 to 3 minutes per side (our tip; we have not tested an exact time).
- If a patty isn't browning after 3 minutes, turn the heat up slightly; if it browns too fast, turn it down (ATK).
- A food processor shredding disk makes quick work of 2 1/2 lb of potatoes.
The rules people argue about
What the sources agree on, what they don't, and what is just a good story.
- Hash browns joined McDonald's breakfast in 1977. Documented per McDonald's archivist Mike Bullington, quoted by Food Republic (2025).
- A hash brown is a patty. Disputed: in Britain, Wikipedia says, it usually is; in the US it can mean loose shreds, a pressed round or diced potatoes.
- Chain patties are made from grated potatoes. Folklore: a UK copycat writer says McDonald's potatoes look diced, not grated (search results only); we did not check.
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