- Today, you're gonna learn the secret to perfect crispy hash browns. Check this out. (upbeat music) Hey everybody, it's Natasha
of natashaskitchen.com. We are making hash browns, one of my favorite breakfast foods. I love potatoes, and this
really is the easiest recipe. Also, if you haven't already, make sure, make sure you
subscribe to our channel, and when you do, click that bell icon so you'll get notifications
every time we post a recipe. Plus, we're playing a game. Let me know if you can find
Sharky somewhere in this video. I think we did a good job
of hiding him this time. So let me know in the
comments when you see him. And I'm craving some hash
browns, so let's get started. The most common potatoes
for making hash browns are russet potatoes, also called Idaho potatoes
or baking potatoes. Peel your potatoes, then grate them on the
large holes of a box grater. To contain the mess, I do like to set my box grater
over a large mixing bowl and grate right into the bowl. Just make sure you're
grating on the large holes, otherwise, the potatoes will turn to mush. Here's a quick safety tip. To keep from slicing my fingers, I do love these safety gloves, and I will link to these
in the recipe notes. (upbeat music) Ooh, it's so easy (giggles) Potatoes do release quite a bit of liquid, so once you have all of
your potatoes grated, it's important to squeeze
out all the excess liquid. Now, there are several ways to squeeze out the excess liquid. First, you can just use your hands. Grab fistfuls of potatoes and squeeze out as much liquid as you can. Another tool you can
use is a potato ricer. This is the same tool we use
to make our gnocchi recipe. But this is probably my
least favorite method. I find I don't get quite
as much juice squeezed out and it's a lot more work. Now, for my favorite method because it gets all the
water out all at once and it's the easiest. Place a cheesecloth
over a large mixing bowl and add the grated potatoes. You can also use a thin tea towel. Just keep in mind, the potatoes
can stain a kitchen towel. Now, wrap the potatoes
tightly in the cheesecloth and squeeze the ball of potatoes to get as much liquid out as you can. Squeezing the potatoes is a crucial step and it will ensure you have
the crispiest hash browns. It not only releases extra liquid, but it also helps remove
some of the starch, which can make your hash browns gummy. And it's strangely satisfying to see how much liquid you
can get out of those potatoes. Transfer the drained
potatoes to a mixing bowl and sprinkle with 1/2
teaspoon of onion powder. The onion powder adds
great depth of flavor and I think it's better than
using fresh chopped onions because they won't burn in the skillet. Stir that together. And that's the only seasoning
we're adding at this point. I like to add the salt and pepper later so the potatoes don't
release any more juice. Now, it's important to use
the right size of skillet, depending on how many
potatoes you wanna cook. If the layer of potatoes is too thick, it won't crisp up properly. I'm using a 10-inch cast iron skillet for 1 1/4 pound of potatoes. Preheat your skillet over medium heat, then add one tablespoon
of oil or bacon fat and a tablespoon of butter. Now add your potatoes, spreading
them into an even layer. It should be about 1/3 inch thick. Let the potatoes saute undisturbed without stirring for six
minutes over medium heat or until the bottom of the
potatoes are browned and crisped. Do keep an eye on them, though. If they start to brown too quickly, you may need to reduce the heat. Just before flipping the potatoes, sprinkle the top with
salt and pepper to taste. All right, these are
golden brown and crispy on the first side and it's time to flip. Now, it can be challenging
to flip one large pancake, so what I like to do is use a pizza cutter to cut the hash brown in
half, then flip them over. You can also cut them into fourths if you want four individual servings. You can see, if you wait
until those potatoes are nicely browned up, they should be fairly nonstick
and really easy to flip. Drizzle one tablespoon of oil or bacon fat around the edges of the hash browns. Also, dot the edges with butter. That extra grease will travel to the
center of the hash browns and help that bottom to
crisp up beautifully. Season the top with a little
more salt and pepper to taste and saute for about another six minutes or until the potatoes are golden brown and crisp on the second side. (upbeat music) (chuckles) I just love potatoes. Where are my potato fans, come on? (laughs) My husband's got both arms in the air. All right, now, all that's
left to do is the taste test. And I do love to add a
little bit of color to this with some fresh chives. And remember, there's some
onion powder in the potatoes, so it goes really well together. And these are actually chives
from our very own garden. (chuckles) Let me know if you guys are into gardening or what you're planting this year. Lots of onion. Okay, and I also have my bacon cooked up. And make sure you don't miss the tutorial that we just posted about how to make the
perfect bacon with zero mess. Seriously, this is gonna become
your new favorite method. And it is so crisp and crunchy, just the perfectly cooked bacon, okay? Perfect also with hash browns. All right, we're gonna jump
right into this taste test 'cause I am hungry. This is great for breakfast, but right now, it's
technically lunch, being noon, so we're gonna dig in. And I wanna show you this texture because these are truly
crisp on the outside and so moist and juicy inside, just the perfect hash browns. So, let me just show you a bite. And exactly what I'm talking about. Take a look inside. See how moist and tender
that is in the center and crisp on the outside, so you've got that little crunchy bite when you bite into it. I'll show ya. You hear that? Mm, oh. (giggles) It's so good. Oh. All this needs is a little bit of ketchup. I love hash browns with ketchup. Who else? Let me know in the comments. This is gonna be the perfect brunch, that's what it is. I'm gonna go enjoy this with my husband and I might just share
my bacon with him, too. (chuckles) I hope you guys love this. Let me know if you spotted
Sharky in our video. Let me know in the comments and we'll see you in our next
episode of Natasha's Kitchen. Mine! (chuckles) To serve the hash browns... (chuckles) just totally winging it right now. Let's see what happens. Hey, oh, oh, oh. (Natasha vocalizing) (laughs) It worked. Yeah, look at that,
crispy, crispy, crispy, like laced with crunch. The best. Here you go dear. - [Cameraman] That's for you. - Ooh.
