Homemade Hash Browns

I would rarely do a full English breakfast, but we were heading to the races for the day and timing-wise, lunch was going to be a hassle, so a big breakfast seemed like a good compromise. Inspired by the sweet potato rosti I made to go with the pigeon breast recently, I decided to make hash browns as something a little different.

The recipe was quite simple, but probably took longer to cook than I would have anticipated (resulting in a bit of a last minute rush for the train to the races!), but the hash browns were really delicious and definitely added some variety to the standard cooked breakfast. With good smokey bacon, scrambled eggs and roasted vine tomatoes, this kept us going until about 6pm. Although, it may have been assisted by a few pints (!) of Pimms!

Homemade Hash Browns
Olive magazine - June 2009
Serves 6 (we made half)

800g waxy potatoes, peeled
onion, thinly sliced (I only had red onion, but I think a brown onion would be better)
clove garlic, finely chopped
1 egg, beaten
4-5 tablespoons oil

Grate the potatoes. Tip into a tea towel, squeeze out any liquid (be careful - there is more liquid than you think! I managed to leak it all over the floor moving to the sink) and put in a bowl. Stir in the onion, garlic, egg and seasoning. Divide into six and shape into patties. Heat a little oil in a frying pan and cook each pattie over a low heat until golden. (This took about 20-25 minutes with the lid on for me).

Serve with the regular breakfast accompaniments.