Hash browns

LJ convinced me that I needed to make hash browns from scratch so I picked up a five pound bag of potatoes and gave it my best shot.

For as simple as hash browns are (just potatoes and seasoning salt) a few specialized tools make life a little easier.  A box grater is wonderful for shredding the potatoes quickly.

A potato ricer is the best tool around for squeezing out the excess liquid from the shredded potatoes.  This step is a necessity for getting crisp results.

A cast iron pan is best for even heat distribution and crisp results.

When flipping the hash browns it is best to try to turn them all together or at least in as big of sections as you can.  A metal spatula is the perfect tool for this in a cast iron pan.

I probably should have cooked them in smaller batches and cooked them a little longer to make them more crisp but the results were pretty excellent.