Crispy Hash Browns with Sunny Side Up Eggs
Hash browns are great both on a rare lazy Sunday morning or when you want to enjoy breakfast for dinner. Cooking them in either oil or butter work equally well. The key to making the hash browns crispy is to use enough butter or oil (3 Tbsp. is the minimum we’ve found to be effective, but you can use up to 1/4 cup per pan) and to spread the potatoes thinly in the pan and let them brown well on the first side before flipping them. Scramble recipe tester Samantha McKenzie said, “Oh my heavens, these were AMAZING! I, too, like you, want my hash browns really crispy and these were perfect!”
Ingredients
- 2 lbs. russet or white potatoes unpeeled and shredded
- 1/2 yellow onion shredded
- 6 Tbsp. plus 2 tsp. butter or extra virgin olive oil
- 1 tsp. salt
- 8 eggs
- 8 Tbsp. salsa, ketchup, sriracha, or other hot sauce (optional)
Instructions
- Shred the potatoes and onion, using a food processor or hand grater. (This should yield about 6 cups of shredded potatoes and 1 cup of shredded onion.)
- Rinse the potatoes in a colander in cold water to remove the starch (it’s okay if the onions get rinsed, too). Dry the potatoes thoroughly using two clean large dishtowels, one at a time, (or use paper towels), squeezing out the extra liquid into the sink, until the potatoes are quite dry.
- Heat 2 large skillets, preferably cast iron or nonstick, over medium heat, and melt 3 Tbsp. butter or oil in each pan until the butter is bubbling or until the oil is shimmering.
- Spread half of the potato-onion mixture in each pan, pressing them down with a spatula so they make good contact with the pan and spreading them as thinly as possible, and season them with half of the salt. Let the potatoes cook without moving them for 12 – 14 minutes until they are dark brown and crispy on the bottoms (check them sooner if your stove runs very hot), then flip them with a spatula (you can flip them in sections if they break or are unwieldy), press them flat, season them with more salt, and let them cook undisturbed for about 5 more minutes.
- Using the spatula, start to break up the hash browns to make sure they are browning evenly. When they are getting nicely browned all over, combine all of the potatoes and onions in one of the pans and wipe the remaining bits out of the other pan.
- Heat the remaining butter or oil over medium heat in the pan you wiped out, and when it is very hot, gently add the eggs and cook them for about 2 minutes until the whites turn opaque, then cover them, reduce the heat and let them cook for about 3 more minutes until they are cooked to desired doneness.
- Serve the hash browns topped with the eggs and topped with salsa, ketchup, sriracha or other hot sauce, if desired.
Notes
Do Ahead or Delegate: Shred the onion.
Scramble Flavor Booster: Some of us like to top our hash browns with shredded cheese for extra decadence.
Tip: Want to avoid the less than virtuous snacks in the vending machines or keep yourself from mindlessly scarfing down a bag of chips in front of the TV? At the beginning of each week, bag up (or put in airtight containers) healthy snacks. You can then grab them on your way out the door or when you plop down in front of your favorite TV show. Some good options include whole wheat pita chips, nuts, cut up veggies with hummus, or The Scramble's take on ranch dressing, protein-filled Peanut Butter Bites or popcorn.
Nutritional Information Per Serving (% based upon daily values): Calories 320, Total Fat: 20g, 29.5%; Saturated Fat: 10g, 51%; Cholesterol: 282mg, 94%; Sodium: 624mg, 26%; Total Carbohydrate: 31g, 10%; Dietary Fiber: 3g, 10%; Sugar: 3g; Protein: 12g
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