I absolutely love potatoes. They are one of my favorite food groups, and I eat them about every day. But not having a gallbladder means I have to cut back on the fat. So these are my healthy hash browns that are low in fat if you can believe it!
These hash browns only required 3 ingredients: potatoes, oil, and salt.
Really, the only reason these are low fat are because I don’t cook it with a ton of oil like a lot of other recipes call for.
Now to get down to how it’s made, including all of the tricks I know to make hash browns golden and crispy rather than cooked mush.
What you’ll need
| Materials: | Ingredients: |
|---|---|
| – Vegetable peeler – Cheese grater – Strainer (or cheesecloth) – Nonstick frying pan | – 1 or more potatoes (ideally russet) – Salt – Pepper – Vegetable oil (I use sunflower) |
How To Make These Healthy Hash Browns
To start, clean off the potato. Make sure you wash it, because it’s been growing in the dirt with fertilizer. If you peel it without washing, everything on the outside will then be transferred to the part of the potato you’ll be eating.
Peel the potato, then proceed to grate the potato on the cheese grater, using the largest holes. Place the grated potato into cheesecloth (or a fine strainer).
RINSE OFF the grated potato! It seems so odd to say this, because you’ve already rinsed the outside off, right? But rinsing off gets rid of some of the excess starch, and makes it crisp better. It also means that the potato doesn’t turn purple once it hits the air. I suggest rinsing until the water runs clear out of the strainer. This is one tip I’ve learned over the years of making hash browns.
Next, you want to remove some of the excess water. This is also one of the most important steps in making hash browns, otherwise they will become soggy while cooking.
There are different ways to remove the excess liquid, and I’ll tell you mine – I typically just pick up a handful of the grated potato and squeeze out some of the liquid over the sink, and repeat until all of it has had the excess removed. If you’d try to get even more liquid out, wrap the potatoes in a dishcloth or in your cheesecloth and squeeze until no more liquid is expelled.
The more water that gets removed, the crispier the potato will get in the frying process!
Now is the time to salt and pepper, mixing in any other desired spices, stirring to combine.
Cooking time
Heat oil (I use about 1-2 tsp to start) on medium-high heat in a nonstick pan. Using a pan that’s nonstick (or one you’ve seasoned) is key. Otherwise the potato will just stick to the pan and you’ll end up with one burned side, and one raw side. Test the oil is ready to go by dripping a drop of water in. If it sizzles, it’s time to cook the hash browns.
If it doesn’t, give it another minute and try again.
Gently put the grated potato into the oil, lowering the heat to medium-high. If you’ve got a small pan, or a lot of potato, do in rounds – otherwise the center will be mush after cooking.
Ensure it’s evenly spread and not too thick. Next is a trick I actually learned on The Chef Show. What you want to do is split it into smaller pieces – I split the hash browns into fourths, so that it’s easier to flip. At the same time, take a spatula and run it underneath the hash browns gently, ensuring none of them are stuck to the bottom.
Press down on the potatoes with your spatula few minutes into the cooking, so that the starch will glue all of the grated potato pieces together.
Healthy hash browns require PATIENCE. This is typically where I fail with making them. It’s the time to step away and allow them to cook. For 5-10 minutes on each side. I’ve had a hard time with patience and hash browns, thinking I need to flip them often. You don’t. The more they get flipped, the more likely they are to not coagulate into hash browns, and more likely to stick to the bottom of the pan. Neither of these are optimal results.
So wait 5-10 minutes, checking occasionally by lifting up a corner with your spatula to check golden-ness, and then finally flip when they are nice and crisp looking. I typically add a dash more oil at this point too, or else they won’t get the nice golden look. Gently ensure they aren’t sticking to the bottom of the pan again with the spatula. Then leave them be for another 5-10 minutes.
Finally
Remove from pan and enjoy hot! I don’t have a corn free ketchup at the moment, so I typically eat these with sunny side up or poached eggs, letting the yolk run onto the eggs.
I hope you enjoy these low fat healthy hash browns!
Recipe
Here’s a condensed, printer friendly version of the recipe if you’d like to add it to your personal collection.
Low Fat Hash Browns
Notes
This recipe can easily be multiplied and made for multiple people. To do that, make sure there isn’t too thick of a layer of potatoes in the pan, and make the hash browns in rounds.
Author: Ashley @LivingCornIntolerant
Ingredients
- 1 potato (russet preferred)
- Vegetable oil
- Salt
- Pepper
Instructions
- Peel the potato. Then grate on a cheese grater.
- In a colander, rinse off the grated potato, until the water runs clear.
- With your hands or a clean tea towel, squeeze out the excess water. Add salt and pepper, and mix.
- Pour a small amount of oil into a non-stick frying pan (1-2tsp, or until the bottom of the pan is coated). Heat over medium high heat. Add the potatoes evenly to the pan.
- Take a spatula and split the hashbrowns into smaller sections. Also, gently run the spatula underneath the potatoes to ensure they don’t stick to the pan.
- Allow to cook (without touching the potatoes) for 5-10 minutes, or until bottom is crisp.
- Flip, adding a small amount of oil to the pan. Cook for another 5-10 minutes.
Nutrition Facts
Low Fat Hash Browns
Serves: 1 person
|
Amount Per Serving: 1
|
||
|---|---|---|
| Calories | 414 | |
| % Daily Value* | ||
| Total Fat 14.4g | 21.5% | |
| Saturated Fat 1.4g | 5% | |
| Trans Fat 0 | ||
| Cholesterol 0mg | 0 | |
| Sodium 623mg | 26% | |
| Total Carbohydrate 62.4g | 20.7% | |
| Dietary Fiber 6.9g | 24% | |
| Sugars 3.2g | ||
| Protein 7.9g | ||
| Vitamin A | Vitamin C | |
| Calcium 55mg | Iron 3mg | |
* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2,000 calorie diet. Your daily values may be higher or lower depending on your calorie needs.
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