"Bob Pastorio" > wrote in message
...
>Restaurant trick for crisp outside, creamy interior: Grate the
>potatoes, season them (salt, pepper, garlic powder, onion powder).
>Melt too much butter in a non-stick skillet (like 1/3 of a stick) over
>med-high heat and press the spuds into the skillet. Let them cook for
>a while to begin browning, like 8 or 10 minutes or more. Don't stir or
>otherwise disturb them. Combine 3 tablespoons water with two
>tablespoons potato or corn starch and pour evenly over the potato
>letting it soak through. You'll hear sizzling. Let it cook for maybe 5
>minutes more. You'll want to turn the cake over and the best way to do
>that for me has been the old plate on the skillet and invert it trick.
>Slide it back into the skillet raw side down and let it brown. Crusty
>exterior, smooth and moist interior.
>

(piggy-backing 'cause my server seems to be dropping posts again.)

So you don't soak the potatoes after grating them? Or rinse them? For some
reason, I thought potatoes for hash browns should be rinsed, though potatoes
for latkes shouldn't. Don't ask me where I got that idea--probably from rfc
somewhere...

I think I used about 1/3-1/2cup fat in total for my one grated potato.
Maybe I had too much fat. It was almost like deep frying because the fat
nearly covered the potatoes (and did in some areas). I was using a fairly
small non-stick pan--maybe 6" in diameter.

The cornstarch/potato starch idea sounds interesting, but I was trying to
avoid adding extra starch. It's a low-carb thing ;-). Seriously, though,
is it possible to get a crispy outside tender inside without the extra
starch? The good hash browns I've had at restaurants just seem to be
potatoes with no additives except salt and pepper. Is it that home stoves
(we have electric coil) just make it harder to do?

I need some more potatoes so I can practice more. I'll try the
cornstarch/potato starch thing next. I might do sweet potatoes, too.
Thanks!

rona

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