Hash browns, also spelled hashed browns, are a
popular American and
British breakfast food, consisting of finely chopped
potatoes
The potato is a starchy food, a tuber of the plant ''Solanum tuberosum'' and is a root vegetable native to the Americas. The plant is a perennial in the nightshade family Solanaceae.
Wild potato species can be found from the southern United ...
that have been fried until
browned. Hash browns first started appearing on breakfast menus in
New York City
New York, often called New York City or NYC, is the List of United States cities by population, most populous city in the United States. With a 2020 population of 8,804,190 distributed over , New York City is also the L ...
in the 1890s. Hash browns are a staple breakfast food at
diner
A diner is a small, inexpensive restaurant found across the United States, as well as in Canada and parts of Western Europe. Diners offer a wide range of foods, mostly American cuisine, a casual atmosphere, and, characteristically, a com ...
s in North America, where they are often fried on a large common cooktop or grill.
Hash browns are a popular
mass-produced
Mass production, also known as flow production or continuous production, is the production of substantial amounts of standardized products in a constant flow, including and especially on assembly lines. Together with job production and ba ...
product sold in refrigerated, frozen and dehydrated forms.
History
Hash browns first started appearing on breakfast menus in New York City in the 1890s. Hash browns are a staple breakfast food at
diner
A diner is a small, inexpensive restaurant found across the United States, as well as in Canada and parts of Western Europe. Diners offer a wide range of foods, mostly American cuisine, a casual atmosphere, and, characteristically, a com ...
s in North America, where they are often fried on a large common cooktop or grill.
[Slater, Nigel (November 4, 2006)]
"Nigel Slater: Making a hash of it"
''The Guardian
''The Guardian'' is a British daily newspaper. It was founded in 1821 as ''The Manchester Guardian'', and changed its name in 1959. Along with its sister papers ''The Observer'' and ''The Guardian Weekly'', ''The Guardian'' is part of the Gu ...
''.
Originally, the full name of the dish was "hashed brown potatoes" (or "hashed browned potatoes"), of which the first known mention is by American food author
Maria Parloa (1843–1909) in her 1887 ''Kitchen Companion'', where she describes the dish of "hashed and browned potatoes" as a fried mixture of cold boiled potatoes which is folded "like an omelet" before serving.
The name was gradually shortened to 'hash brown potatoes'.
Etymology
The word "hash" is derived from the French word "''hacher"'' which means to hack or chop. This means hashed browned potatoes literally translates to "chopped and fried potatoes".
Preparation
A chef may prepare hash browns by either grating potato or forming riced potatoes into
patties
A patty or burger (in British English) is a flattened, usually round, serving of ground meat and/or legumes, grains, vegetables, or meat alternatives. Patties are found in multiple cuisines throughout the world.
In British and American En ...
before frying with onions (moisture and potato
starch
Starch or amylum is a polymeric carbohydrate consisting of numerous glucose units joined by glycosidic bonds. This polysaccharide is produced by most green plants for energy storage. Worldwide, it is the most common carbohydrate in human diets ...
can hold them together); however, if a binding agent is added (egg or flour for example), such a preparation constitutes a
potato pancake
Potato pancakes are Frying, shallow-fried pancakes of grated or ground potato, matzo meal or flour and a binding ingredient such as Egg as food, egg or applesauce, often flavored with grated garlic or onion and seasoning. They may be topped with ...
.
Hash browns are sometimes made into patty form and frozen for ease of handling, and the compact, flat shape can also be cooked in a
toaster oven
A toaster is a small electric appliance that uses radiant heat to brown sliced bread into toast.
Types
Pop-up toaster
In pop-up or automatic toasters, a single vertical piece of bread is dropped into a slot on the top of the toaster ...
or toaster. For best results, in both cooking and flavor, it is recommended that hash browns be made using starchy potatoes such as
russet potato
A russet potato is a type of potato that is large, with dark brown skin and few eyes. The flesh is white, dry, soft, and mealy, and it is suitable for baking, mashing, and french fries. Russet potatoes are also known as Idaho potatoes in the U ...
es.
If a dish of hash browned potatoes incorporates chopped
meat
Meat is animal flesh that is eaten as food. Humans have hunted, farmed, and scavenged animals for meat since prehistoric times. The establishment of settlements in the Neolithic Revolution allowed the domestication of animals such as chic ...
, leftovers, or other
vegetable
Vegetables are parts of plants that are consumed by humans or other animals as food. The original meaning is still commonly used and is applied to plants collectively to refer to all edible plant matter, including the flowers, fruits, stems, ...
s, it is more commonly referred to as ''
hash''.
Hash browns are also manufactured as a
dehydrated food
Food drying is a method of food preservation in which food is dried (dehydrated or desiccated). Drying inhibits the growth of bacteria, yeasts, and mold through the removal of water. Dehydration has been used widely for this purpose since a ...
, which is sometimes used by
backpackers.
In some parts of the United States, ''hash browns'' strictly refer to shredded or riced pan-fried potatoes, while diced and pan-fried potatoes are called country fried potatoes or
home fries
Home fries (US, Canada), house fries (US), American fries (US), fried potatoes (UK, Canada and regional US), Bratkartoffeln (German), bistro potatoes (southeastern US), or peasant potatoes are a type of basic potato dish made by pan- or skillet ...
and are served as a side dish at other meals.
Some recipes add diced or chopped onions.
See also
*
Potato pancake
Potato pancakes are Frying, shallow-fried pancakes of grated or ground potato, matzo meal or flour and a binding ingredient such as Egg as food, egg or applesauce, often flavored with grated garlic or onion and seasoning. They may be topped with ...
*
Boxty
Boxty ( ir, bacstaí) is a traditional Irish potato pancake. The dish is mostly associated with the north midlands, north Connacht and southern Ulster, in particular the counties of Leitrim, Mayo, Sligo, Donegal, Fermanagh, Longford, and C ...
*
Bubble and squeak
Bubble and squeak is a British dish made from cooked potatoes and cabbage, mixed together and fried. The food writer Howard Hillman classes it as one of the "great peasant dishes of the world".Hillman, pp. 62–63 The dish has been known sin ...
*
Croquette
A croquette is a deep-fried roll consisting of a thick binder combined with a filling, which is breaded and deep-fried; it is served as a side dish, a snack, or fast food worldwide.
The binder is typically a thick béchamel or brown sauce, m ...
*
Fried potatoes
Fried potatoes are a dish or a component of other dishes (such as ''Bauernfrühstück'') essentially consisting of potatoes which have been fried or deep-fried in hot cooking oil often with the addition of salt and other seasonings. They are oft ...
*
Potato waffle
Potato waffles are a potato-based savoury dish in a waffle shape. They are common in the United Kingdom and Ireland and are also available in some other countries, including Australia, Canada and United States.
They are made of potato, oil, a ...
*
Rösti
Rösti or rööschti () is a Swiss dish consisting mainly of potatoes, sautéed or shallow-fried in a pan. It was originally a breakfast dish, commonly eaten by farmers in the canton of Bern, but is now eaten all over Switzerland and around th ...
*
Tater tots
Tater tots are grated potatoes formed into small cylinders and deep-fried, often served as a side dish. The name "tater tot" is a registered trademark of the American frozen food company Ore-Ida, but is often used as a generic term. "Tater" ...
*
Funeral potatoes
References
External links
United States Standards for Grades of Frozen Hash Brown Potatoes(PDF)
{{Potato dishes
Deep fried foods
Potato dishes
Potato pancakes