Chef notes
These are Egg Shop restaurant's signature hash brown potatoes. They're a hybrid of hash browns and latkes — salty, fried potato glory.
Technique tip: Drying the potatoes in the oven before incorporating the other ingredients in the mix is key to having the extra crispy hash base that stays together in the pan.
Swap option: Sweet potatoes are great in this recipe; just be careful to watch them as they fry, since the extra sugar will make them burn more easily.
Ingredients
- 3 russet potatoes, peeled and coarsely grated
- 1/4 cup potato starch
- 1 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1 teaspoon onion powder
- 1 teaspoon sea salt
- 1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
- 4 eggs, lightly beaten
- Canola or safflower oil, for shallow frying
- Coarse sea salt, for garnish
- Chipotle-bourbon ketchup or regular ketchup
Preparation
1.Preheat the oven to 350°F.
2.Spread the grated potatoes evenly on a rimmed baking sheet and bake until they appear dry but are not yet beginning to brown, about 15 minutes. Let the potatoes cool, then transfer to a large bowl.
3.To the bowl, add the potato starch, garlic powder, onion powder, sea salt, pepper and eggs and mix to combine. Take care not to mash the potatoes when mixing.
4.Divide the potato mixture into 12 even balls, squeezing them gently over a bowl to remove any excess moisture (we find it helpful to use a 3-ounce ice cream scoop to evenly portion the hash browns, but the cup of your hand works just as well).
5.Pour 1/2-inch of oil into a large sauté pan and heat it over medium heat to 350°F (use a thermometer, or test fry a small piece of the potato mixture).
6.Gently press each ball with your palm to flatten and add, one at a time, to the hot oil. Working in batches of 4 to 6, depending on the size of your pan, fry until deep golden brown and nicely crispy on the outside.
7.Remove to a baking sheet lined with paper towels to drain excess oil if planning to serve right away. Otherwise, reserve on a cooling rack set over a baking sheet, and hold in a warm oven until ready to serve.
8.Garnish with sea salt and serve with ketchup.
