Since I’ve been eating more carbs lately, one of my favorite things to eat for breakfast is hash browns.
In addition to carbs, I’m trying to eat more salt. Most of us don’t eat enough salt these days. We eat about half the salt we used to eat a hundred years ago.
“…a lack of sodium slows metabolism, lowers carbon dioxide production, and creates inflammation, stress and degeneration. Rephrasing it, sodium stimulates energy metabolism, increases carbon dioxide production, and protects against inflammation and other maladaptive stress reactions.” — Ray Peat
“A very recent study demonstrated that when healthy people were placed on a very low-salt diet they developed insulin resistance within seven days.” — Morton Satin PhD and Vice President, Science and Research at the Salt Institute, in Wise Traditions, Spring 2012
Nothing like kicking off your morning and your metabolism with some salty, starchy hash browns.
Coconut oil is very good for the thyroid. I don’t like the idea of eating hash browns cooked in soybean oil, which is what you get when you eat them at a restaurant.
Now you can make healthy and totally delicious hash browns at home. This recipe is a snap, especially if you have a food processor. Your family will love these hash browns!
Recipe Notes
I don’t recommend using regular virgin coconut oil for this recipe. I don’t like the flavor of coconut with hash browns. Expeller-pressed coconut oil has no coconut flavor, and you get all the benefits of coconut oil.
I hate hash browns when they are undercooked, don’t you? I love them when they’re nice and crispy and golden-brown. The trick to these hash browns is spreading them out thinly in the skillet. If you need to make a lot of them, use 2 or 3 large skillets so the cooking time will go faster.
Where to Buy Expeller-Pressed Coconut Oil
See my resources page for where to buy expeller-pressed coconut oil. I buy it in the money-saving 5-gallon bucket. It’s extremely shelf-stable and will last in your kitchen for years (of course, mine never lasts that long — I go through a bucket in about a year or so).
Hash Browns
Ingredients
Potatoes, Idaho or Russet, not peeled, organic if possible (4 ounces)
Expeller pressed coconut oil — where to buy expeller-pressed coconut oil
Sea salt — where to buy sea salt
Equipment
Cast iron skillet
Food processor or box grater
Spatula
Directions
1. Heat up the coconut oil in a cast iron or stainless steel skillet on medium heat.
2. Meanwhile, shred the potatoes in your food processor or grate on the largest hole of a box grater. Remove excess moisture by squeezing the grated potatoes in some paper towels or a dish towel.
3. Add the shredded potatoes. Spread them out in a thin layer in the pan. If they are spread too thickly, you will end up with an uncooked middle.
4. Cook for 5 minutes without disturbing.
5. Decrease the heat to low, flip the potatoes, and cook for another 5 minutes. Cook until golden brown on both sides.
6. Serve immediately with generous amounts of sea salt and ketchup.
Disclosure: cmp.ly/4 and cmp.ly/5
{ 20 comments… read them below or add one }
Those look fantastic! I always make the mistake of adding too many to the pan and they don’t crisp well. I noticed that left the skins on. What do you make of the argument that the skins contains anti-nutrients? Do you think the benefit of the fiber outweighs the plant toxins? Or is it such a small amount anyway, that it doesn’t really matter?
I don’t think it matters. Take the skin off if you like but I don’t think it hurts you.
If you are drinking loads of soymilk or green smoothies, then yeah, that’s a problem. But a little potato skin won’t hurt you.
Yeah green smoothies! Poor Sarah
Why would it matter if you were drinking a lot of green smoothies? What is the connection?
Green smoothies contain a concentrated amount of goitrogens, which are present in raw kale and spinach and such. Normally not a problem for people unless you are eating lots of them (such as the large amounts you can juice into a green smoothy) or if you have certain issues, particularly those pertaining to the thyroid, digestion, etc. Some goitrogens are good for you and have cancer fighting properties, but too many have a very negative impact. Since so so many people have issues with their thyroids and hormones and digestion and such they avoid concentrated sources of them.
Oh yeah, the potato skin has some also, forgot to mention that, lol.
We also love to grate cold leftover baked potatoes for hashbrowns. Yum!
That’s what we do, too! I’ve tried them with raw potatoes but they never get as crispy on the outside while perfectly cooked on the inside.
Ketchup?! It’s loaded with HFCS (high fructose corn syrup)!!! Another option is ghee (so-called clarified butter) to fry the hash browns (definitely take the extra step to peel the skin).
homemade fermented ketchup is great and it has no HFCS
You can buy ketchup without HFCS. Go to the health food store or Trader Joe’s
I adore hash browns! I cook them in butter, beef tallow or butter with coconut oil. I love to put an over medium fried egg on top!
Just wondering if you could ferment the raw grated potatoes in water and whey for a few days to up the nutrient content and to reduce acrylamides sp? I do this with my homemade french fries, but I wonder if hashbrowns would get mushy.
Based on this blog post, I think you could! These fries were crispy so I don’t see why the hash browns would turn any different:
http://everythingfreeeating.blogspot.com/2009/10/more-on-cooking-dangerously.html
Maybe someday I could actually try these… no time!!
I love hashbrowns and so do my boys. I was just considering making them recently. Thanks for the inspiration to do this soon!
I haven’t had hash browns often and not recently. Do they not have onions? I would add them, shredded same as potatoes. I can think of other variations: beat an egg and add at the end for a ‘frittata’; top with crumbled feta just before or after removing from heat; add shredded carrots or rutabaga. This is a keeper
Nice to see you back online Ann Marie! I like to cook a big pot of potatoes every week, some to eat that day but most to hang out in the fridge for quick meal additions. Easy to chop up and mix with leftover meat and veggies, add a white sauce, maybe some cheese, and fresh seasoning, pop it in the oven, make a salad or cooked veggie and it’s dinner in about 30-40 minutes!
Ditto with hash browns or home fries. I like a recipe I got from an Amish cookbook that uses boiled and diced potatoes mixed with a little flour, milk, minced onion and seasonings. Then it’s fried in a big pan-sized patty in bacon fat. brown and crispy on the outside, creamy and full of flavor on the inside.Total yum
My mouth is watering, love hashbrowns and Ray Peat! All good things
While this might not fit your idea of a healthy breakfast, here’s my version:
First, fry bacon using each of your skillets, then set it aside.
While your bacon is frying, grate your potatoes (I use a mandolin slicer), and put them into a seize to drain. Add your salt and any seasonings (I like Cavender’s Greek Seasoning) and mix well, and let the salty blend pull excess moisture from the potatoes so it can drain. When you’re ready to cook, squeeze the potatoes well to rid them of any excess water.
You know what’s coming next, right? Fry your potatoes in the bacon grease, while reserving at least one skillet for frying eggs in bacon grease.
Southerners don’t play around about frying: we need our bacon grease!
yum yum. I think I will have these in the morning.
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