Lacey Hashbrowns

The hubby and I found these earlier this summer in my copy of Breakfast, one of the cookbooks in the Williams Sonoma Collection. Easy and delicate, these have become our go-to hash brown recipe.

Makes: 1 round of hashbrowns 8"-10" in diameter

Ingredients
1 russet potato
1 tbsp unsalted butter
salt (to taste)
pepper (to taste)

Directions
WASH and PEEL potato
GRATE using the largest holes on a box grater
PLACE potato in a clean kitchen towel
TWIST towel inwards from both ends
SQUEEZE towel to remove excess moisture from the potato

MELT 1/2 tbsp butter in a medium frying pan over medium-high heat
ALLOW foam to subside
ADD potatoes
QUICKLY SPREAD potatoes into an even layer
SEASON with salt and pepper
PRESS firmly on the potatoes

REDUCE heat to medium
COOK until bottom is golden brown and crisp (~6-7 minutes)

PLACE a dinner plate over the top of the frying pan
FLIP, holding the plate and the frying pan together, so the potatoes fall onto the plate

ADD remaining 1/2 tbsp butter to the frying pan
INCREASE heat to medium-high
MELT butter
ALLOW foam to subside
SLIDE potatoes back into the pan, cooked side up
SEASON with salt and pepper
PRESS firmly on the potatoes

REDUCE heat to medium
COOK until bottom is golden brown and crisp (~5-6 minutes)

PLACE a dinner plate over the top of the frying pan
FLIP, holding the plate and the frying pan together, so the potatoes fall onto the plate

CUT into wedges and serve

My Thoughts
1. Wonderfully light and tasty, these are a great way to have a potato side dish without making breakfast too heavy.

2. The most difficult bit here is flipping the potatoes onto a plate. As long as your pan is well buttered, you shouldn't have any issues. If the whole idea still scares you, just slice into smaller pieces and flip those over with your spatula.

3. The original recipe suggest that you fold in half, just after cooking the second side, cook a bit longer and serve that way. This makes each serving a bit heartier.