Sweet Potato Hash Browns Recipe (2024)

FAQs

Why do you need to soak sweet potatoes before cooking? ›

TIPS & TRICKS to Make this Recipe: The main secrets to achieving that incredible crispy texture, is to soak the cut sweet potatoes in cold water for at least 30 minutes. This helps remove the starch from the sweet potatoes so they´re not limp & soggy.

Most recipes require soaking your raw, shredded potato in cold water to rinse off the excess starch, then squeezing every last bit of moisture out before tossing it in a pan.

Remove as much moisture as possible. In order to get evenly crispy hash browns, you need to squeeze out as much water as you can.

If you use a waxy potato, they'll stick together nicely, but they won't get as crispy as you might want. Another option is to add more ingredients that will act as binders. Try adding cheese to your hash browns because when the cheese melts it will be like a gooey glue that holds your potatoes together.

Soaking potatoes in water helps remove excess starch. Excess starch can inhibit the potatoes from cooking evenly as well as creating a gummy or sticky texture on the outside of your potatoes. Cold water is used because hot water would react with the starch activating it, making it harder to separate from the potatoes.

Give them a cold water bath: Once your fries are chopped, toss them into a large bowl. Then cover the fries completely with cold water and let them soak for at least 30 minutes (or up to overnight). This will help to rinse off the excess starch and help the potatoes crisp up beautifully in the oven.

Squeezing the shredded potato in a towel or cheesecloth to remove as much moisture as possible helps it brown more evenly. Cooking the shredded potato briefly in the microwave helps it develop a better crust that remains crispy for longer.

Preparation. 1) Fill a bowl with cold water and set aside. 2) Grate the potatoes with a box grater and place them immediately into the cold water. 3) Allow the potatoes to sit in the water for about 5 to 10 minutes.

This tends to happen because the excess water creates steam as the potatoes cook, so they can't crisp up like they should. Another thing to keep in mind for crispy hash browns is that you shouldn't salt the potatoes until you are about to flip them.

Exposure to air or oxygen is the cause of this situation when the potatoes are cut and stored in advance for any future cooking.

What type of potatoes are best for hash browns? ›

Starchy potatoes like Russets work best for hash browns. Waxy potatoes like red new potatoes have a higher moisture content and tend to hold their shape better than starchy potatoes, and as such do not develop the crispiest of edges when fried.

I say low-medium for cooking these hash browns because you want to heat them evenly to cook through and cook evenly from the middle to the edges. If you cook it too high you'll get a middles that's darker than the edges, and a soft center.

Using a drier, starchier potato such as Idaho, and rinsing away the excess starch is a sure-fire way to crispy, golden hash browns. Butter helps both browning and flavor, while oil lowers the smoke point, allowing your pan to do the steady, even cooking needed for perfectly crisped potatoes.

Cover and cook just until the perimeters start to get golden, about 5 minutes. Use a spatula to press the top down. Season with salt and pepper and flip. Cook, uncovered, until the bottom is golden and crispy, another 3 to 5 minutes.

The theory is that soaking draws out starch from inside the potatoes, helping them crisp up. I've tested soaking sweet potato fries many times, and I've found that it doesn't make them much crispier, if at all. My hot take? Skip the soak!

Some recipes call for soaking the sweet potatoes in water prior to cooking them to help remove some of the starch and make the fries more crispy.

Bake, don't boil

Baking sweet potatoes caramelizes their natural sugars, especially when done whole. It intensifies their flavor and creates a richer taste compared to boiling, which can result in a watered-down, bland flavor.

When chopping sweet potatoes in advance, make sure to store them in cold water in the refrigerator. That said, if you're cooking sweet potatoes in advance, don't worry about the water. Cooked sweet potatoes do just fine when stored in an airtight container.