Diner hash browns
Order breakfast anywhere from a Brooklyn diner to a Nevada truck stop and the plate comes with hash browns: a thin, wide cake of shredded potato fried on the griddle until the outside is shatteringly crisp and the inside is soft. They are made from just potato, oil, salt and pepper, so they are naturally vegan and gluten free. Serve with pancakes, fried eggs or beans, and a bottle of hot sauce on the side. The mistake nearly everyone makes is skipping the squeeze: wet potato steams, sticks and turns grey and soggy. Wring the shreds hard in a clean tea towel until no more water drips out. Leave the cake alone in the pan, too; it only crisps if you do not keep stirring it. Chef's tip: rinse the shredded potato in cold water before squeezing; washing off the surface starch stops the shreds clumping into a gluey mass.
























