Crispy Golden Brown Hash Browns in a Waffle Iron
Have you ever tried making hash brown potatoes in a waffle iron? No, then this waffle iron hash recipe is for you. The large surface area of the waffle iron creates crispy, golden hash browns. Give them a try!
Rinse the Potatoes
Russet potatoes work well for waffle iron hash browns but they are full of starch. If you don't rinse them, the hash browns will come out gummy and sticky. You can fix that by rinsing them well in cold water. It only takes a few minutes and makes a big difference in the end product.
Why in a Waffle Maker?
A waffle maker works surprisingly well for making hash brown potatoes. The reason is that the waffle pattern provides the surface area of a much larger pan. All that surface area means more room to make the waffle iron hash brown potatoes nice and crispy.
Is Cooking in a Waffle Maker Faster than Cooking in a Pan?
Yes, cooking in a waffle maker is faster than cooking in a pan, but not by as much as you would think. Potatoes just take a long time to cook. In a pan, you have to turn the potatoes over halfway through cooking. When you use a waffle iron, the potatoes are cooking from both sides thereby removing the need to flip the potatoes.
However, when you cook potatoes in a pan you are able to add oil and butter periodically throughout the cooking process. Those additions of oil and butter tend to speed up the cooking. When you cook potatoes in a waffle iron, you cannot really add oil or butter during the cooking process. The reason is that the center of the potatoes need to cook before you actually open the waffle iron. If they don't, you will find that when you open the waffle iron the potatoes will split down the middle leaving half of the potatoes stuck in each side of the waffle iron. So, cooking potatoes in a waffle iron is about 20% faster.
Do Waffle Iron Hash Browns Make a Mess of the Waffle Iron?
No, not if you spray the waffle iron with a little cooking spray before adding the potatoes. That makes clean up a ton easier.
Some Similar Dishes
Here are some similar dishes to try:
- Grilled Garlic Bread
- Wood-Fired Oven Pan Pizza
- Margherita Pizza With Buffalo Mozzarella
- Mushroom and Goat Cheese Pizza
- Wood-Fired Pepperoni Pizza
- Chicken Calzone
Watch the video on YouTube
Waffle Iron Hash Browns
Equipment
- 1 Belgian Waffle Maker
Ingredients
- 2 each Russet potatoes large
- ½ cup onion chopped
- ½ cup red bell pepper chopped
- ½ cup green onion tops
- ¼ cup butter melted
- ½ teaspoon cooking spray
- salt & pepper to taste
Instructions
- Preheat the waffle iron to 350˚ F. Peel the potatoes and grate them on a box grater using the largest setting.
- Soak the potatoes in cold water for a few minutes. Swish them around and drain them when the water gets cloudy. Repeat with fresh water.
- Drain the potatoes and press out any remaining water with paper towels. Add the onion, bell pepper and green onion tops. Mix well.
- Add the butter and mix well.
- Spray the waffle iron with a light coat of cooking spray. Add the potato mixture and press into the waffle iron. Do not overfill. Remember, this is not batter and there is nowhere for excess potatoes to go.
- Close the waffle iron and cook about 12 - 15 minutes until golden brown. Don't open too soon or the hash brown will tear and get stuck in each half of the waffle iron. If that happens, loosen them with a chopstick and they will come right out.
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