If I have one truly guilty fast food pleasure, it’s hash browns. You know…the deep fried kind. Crisp and crunchy on the outside, but pillowy soft on the inside. I’ll take those over a breakfast sandwich any day. (Or at least get a double order.)
Usually to make this kind of hash brown at home, I’d buy the frozen hash brown patties at the MegaMart and fry them up myself. But that takes a lot of oil, and makes quite a mess. There has to be a better way, right?
There is. And I’m going to share it with you today.
This is a recipe with a secret. Usually when you’re making hash brown potatoes, you need to grate your spuds and then do your best to squeeze all the water out of them so they won’t be soggy. Not anymore people.
Not any more.
No fuss, no ruined kitchen towels. Just crisp, succulent hash browns that are perfect for any meal of the day, and also perfect as a grab and go breakfast.
These little guys have another secret. They aren’t just hash browns. They’re Parmesan Hash Browns. Yeah. I know. You need these in your life, right?
Let’s get started, shall we?
It probably goes without saying, but we’re going to need a few potatoes here. So peel them up and get them rinsed off.
Next, bring a pot of water to a boil and plop your spuds in for 6 to 8 minutes. They should still be firm to the touch, but par cooking them is the secret step that gets rid of all that wringing.
Once they’re done, get them under cold running water as quickly as possible. This will stop the cooking process, leaving them cool enough to grate.
Then of course, we’ve got to get these little beauties shredded. If you’ve got a food processor with a grater attachment, feel free to use it. Mine broke a while ago, so I just went at it the old fashioned way.
Now we assemble the rest of our ingredients. We’ll need an egg, some softened butter, a little flour, a good amount of cheese and some salt and pepper.
*Note. When I say softened butter. I mean room temp or melted. Otherwise these aren’t going to work.*
Mix everything together and we’re nearly good to go.
Divide up your potatoes, roll them into balls and make patties of whatever size you’d like. I went sort of thick here, but you’re free to go smaller or thinner or even bigger if you’d like.
Heat up a skillet with with about 1/4 cup of vegetable oil. Once it’s hot, pop your soon-to-be delicious potato patties into the pan, and let them cook for about 5 minutes.
Once golden, give them a flip and cook for another five minutes or so.
Then let them sit on paper towels to drain for a minute.
All set! Now you’ve got yourself a batch of wonderfully crispy Parmesan hash browns just waiting to be dipped in your favorite sauce, or covered with a fried egg.
I’ll be revisiting this concept to make a whole bunch of different takes on this recipe. It’s amazing. Parmesan hash browns are great, but I can’t help thinking that these would also be great with jalapeno and cheddar, or with Swiss cheese and a dollop of sour cream. The possibilities are endless!
On to the printable recipe! Crispy Restaurant Style Parmesan hash Browns. - Crispy on the outside and fluffy on the inside. (Sort of like latkes, but different.)
Super Crispy Parmesan Hash Browns
Ingredients
Instructions
Nutrition Information:
Yield:
8 Serving Size:
1
Amount Per Serving: Calories: 154Total Fat: 5gSaturated Fat: 3gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 2gCholesterol: 34mgSodium: 162mgCarbohydrates: 22gFiber: 2gSugar: 1gProtein: 5g
What I would have done differently
Not a lot. These Parmesan hash browns are incredibly crispy on the outside. Soft and delicate in the center, ant the Parmesan flavor is pleasingly subtle. They were a hit with the whole family.
I will be expanding on this recipe, so if you have any suggestions, please let me know in the comments.
Other recipes like Crispy Parmesan Hash Browns from around the webs.
- Crispy Cheesy Hash Browns, from hellomoonies
- Crispy Hash Browns, from Simply Recipes
I’m a huge fan of latkes and sometimes put cheese in them. But you’ve taken the concept to a whole new level. Bravo!
Thanks Laura!
Uncle Jerry, you had me at potatoes. And cheese. And crispy. OK, you had me at the title! While I have never met a potato I didn’t like, I’m with you that crispy hash browns are a luxury. So simple, and versatile as you have shown here!
Dee Dee,
I hope your family loves them as much as mine did! Remember, if you want them extra crisp, make them thinner!
Maybe a twist for Hannukah this year. Fun idea including the technique!
Beth,
If you do, be sure to let us know!
to be frankly, it’s new for me. But reading your explanation about this food and the recipe I dare my self to make it at my kitchen and see how my husband and kid will it.
Citra,
They come out a lot like a McDonald’s hash brown, or one of the frozen ones you get in the supermarket. Only with 100 times more flavor.
Par boiling the potatoes…of course!! I have no patience for soggy, undercooked hashbrowns. totally need these barbarians in my life.
Kirsten,
Yes. Yes you do. (And I face-palmed when I first saw this technique myself. I’ve been cooking for over 20 years, and it never even occurred to me to develop the starch before I made hash browns… We live and we learn.)
One of my kids LOVES hashbrowns. Can’t get enough of them! We make them from scratch at least once a week! Your recipe looks delicious, and I love how they’re “sort of like latkes, but different” ;)
Marlynn,
I hope your kiddo loves these! I know my picky eater did!
Yep, MickeyD’s breakfast hash browns are a huge weakness for me too! I love your par-boiling idea, I’ll have to try it. I totally agree, wringing the water out of grated raw potato is a huge pain. Love that you added parmesan!
Julie,
These are very close to the same texture, so yeah. It’s all good.
I wish I could take credit for the par-boiling trick, but I found that somewhere else. (Can’t find it again now, or I would have linked to it!)
The Parmesan was awesome. But you’re not limited to it. I think these would be fantastic with sharp cheddar, Swiss cheese, or Peccorino Romano, too!