Sweet Potato Hash Browns Recipe (2024)

FAQs

What can I add to sweet potato to make it taste good? ›

Salt, Pepper, and Butter – the OG classic way of serving your sweet potatoes. Greek Yogurt and Green Onion – one of my personal favorites! you can do sour cream instead of Greek Yogurt if you prefer. Maple Syrup, Cinnamon, and Butter – ok, I'm a big fan of savory but this combo is also a favorite!

Tips for the Crispiest Hash Browns

Squeeze out moisture: Use a potato ricer, orange or lemon press, or a tea towel to wring out excess moisture from the shredded raw potato. Some people find a salad spinner can work well too.

Selection and storage tips: Choose firm, small- to medium-sized potatoes with smooth skin. Avoid cracks, soft spots and blemishes. Choose sweet potatoes with a bright, uniform color. Store them in a cool, dark, dry place for use within two to three weeks or at room temperature for up to a week.

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.

Baking Soda – boiling the potatoes in baking soda draws out the starch and allows the outside to get brown and crispy. Sweet Potatoes – yams work fine too. Extra Virgin Olive Oil – gets infused with rosemary and garlic and is the key to getting that crispy exterior.

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.

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. I prefer to do this using my salad spinner- it works GREAT for removing water! But you can also use a cheese cloth or even paper towels to squeeze it out.

Drain and Dry

What is this? Once your potatoes are done soaking pour them through a strainer. Quickly rinse to get any residual starch off, then pat the potatoes down with a towel. You'll want to remove as much moisture as possible because this will prevent your hash browns from getting as crisp as possible.

The secret to crispy (instead of soggy) sweet potato fries is to spread them out in an even layer with enough room so that they don't touch. This is especially important if you're making a big batch of fries. Instead of just piling more onto one baking pan, spread them out over two baking pans or cook them in batches.

The main reasons for soggy sweet potato wedges are: overcrowding the baking sheet, not tossing in enough oil, having too thick sized wedges, and not roasting at a high enough heat.

Why do you soak sweet potatoes before baking? ›

The cold water bath helps rinse the starch off the sweet potatoes so they're a bit more crispy. That said, if you do not have the time, you can still get crispy baked sweet potato fries by using high heat and a little drizzle of olive oil.

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. She Loves Biscotti explains that salting too soon will also cause the potatoes to release water which can cause them to steam and be soggy, too. So, in essence, soak, squeeze, salt.

Cast iron skillets get super hot and will give the hash browns the perfect golden, crispy crust. Make sure you use enough oil to coat the bottom of the pan. Don't add the potatoes until the oil is hot and shimmering. Spread the potatoes in a thin layer in the pan so they cook evenly.

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.

Toppings for Baked Sweet Potatoes:

Maple syrup, butter and toasted pecans. Sour cream, chives, salt, and pepper. Blue cheese, walnuts and honey. Mini marshmallows, brown sugar and cinnamon (pop it under the broiler to toast the marshmallows a bit).

The American tradition of cooking sweet potatoes with marshmallows is a bit of a leap for the European reader. But it always pays to keep an open mind.

Of the thousands of vegetables available today, sweet potatoes are considered one of the most nutritious. The orange- (or sometimes purple) fleshed vegetables are loaded with minerals and A, B, and C vitamins. This has led to sweet potatoes being called a superfood by many.