Waffle Iron Hash Browns

By Nanasjoy

There’s no easier way to achieve hash brown perfection than this easy kitchen hack. Dust off your waffle iron and enjoy hash browns that are the perfect balance of crispy yet tender. I use refrigerated hash browns and I don’t even have to bother wringing them out. As a healthy benefit there’s no oil, very little butter, and no eggs. They are not greasy at all and are very light-tasting. Because all waffle irons, potatoes, and preferences for doneness vary, cook until yours are done to your liking.

Ingredients

• one-20 ounce bag (about 3 cups) refrigerated shredded potatoes (I recommend refrigerated; using frozen or shredding your own is possible but you must thoroughly wring out in paper towels)
• 1 to 2 teaspoons dried onion flakes, or to taste
• 1 teaspoon kosher salt, or to taste
• 1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper, or to taste
• 1 tablespoon unsalted butter, melted
• sour cream, optional for serving
• freshly minced chives, optional for serving

Details

Servings 1
Preparation time 5mins
Cooking time 5mins
Adapted from averiecooks.com

Preparation

Step 1

Preheat waffle iron to medium-high; set aside.

To a large bowl, add the potatoes, onion, salt, pepper, and toss with a fork to combine.

Evenly brush the grates of the waffle iron with melted butter.

Add the potatoes to iron, evenly mounded in the center, and lightly press iron to close it, noting that it may not close completely right away. Cook for 2 minutes.

Close iron completely and cook for about 12 to 20 minutes, or until crisp and golden brown. Peek at about 10 minutes to see how it looks. Cooking time will vary based on how hot your waffle iron gets, how much moisture is in the potatoes used, personal preferences for crispiness, etc. Tip – midway through cooking if you want to accelerate the process, brush additional melted butter onto the top grates of the iron or directly on the potatoes.

Optionally add sour cream and chives before serving. Hash browns are best warm and fresh.