Sweet Potato Hash Browns

We didn’t eat a lot of fast food growing up. My brother and I were fortunate to subsist on mainly home-cooked food (thanks mom). My college years and 20’s, well, that’s a whole ‘nother story (and not a pretty one). But as a child, there wasn’t heaps of fast food involved.

Of course, there were always exceptions to the rule and for us that usually came in the form of road trips…when McDonalds became the breakfast hot spot. I wasn’t so fond of their Hotcakes or Big Breakfast or even Egg McMuffin. But what I did want (and usually two of them) was the hash browns. Those crispy, golden hash browns that so easily broke apart as you bit into them.

Out of curiosity, I just Googled the ingredients in a classic McDonald’s Hash Brown. Oh lordy. I sorta wished I hadn’t. Hold on to your horses friends, because this isn’t pretty. Here’s the ingredient list as per McDonald’s website:

Ingredients: Potatoes, Vegetable Oil (Canola Oil, Soybean Oil, Hydrogenated Soybean Oil, Natural Beef Flavor [Wheat and Milk Derivatives]*), Salt, Corn Flour, Dehydrated Potato, Dextrose, Sodium Acid Pyrophosphate (Maintain Color), Extractives of Black Pepper. *Natural beef flavor contains hydrolyzed wheat and hydrolyzed milk as starting ingredients. Contains: WHEAT, MILK.

Yep, they’ve got gluten, dairy and corn in them. It’s like the allergy triumvirate. In something you’d think was made simply from potatoes. Moral of the story: read labels (or ask for the ingredient list)…always.

Alright, now that I’ve surely tarnished your fab childhood memories, I’m here to show you how to make new, even more delicious ones with healthy, homemade, sweet potato hash browns.

Earlier this week I talked about prioritizing simple recipes and trust me, it doesn’t get much simpler for breakfast than these sweet potato hash browns. Many hash brown recipes are thickened up with flour or binded together with a whisked egg. But to be honest, I actually like when they’re less structured and sorta fall apart all loosey goosey. So that’s what we’ve got going on today.

One medium sweet potato makes about 4 large sweet potato hash browns (as you see pictured). But you could make them half-sized for easier flipping. Alternatively, you could toss the entire shredded sweet potato into your pan, crisp up one side then flip and serve it up family-style.

To get started, shred the sweet potato with a box grater and finely dice a shallot (the secret ingredient). Or, you can make life easy by using a food processor with a grater attachment. Once you’ve got the sweet potato grated, add oil to a pan (I love ghee for this recipe, but avocado oil works awesome as well), then cook for a few minutes on each side. Wait until the edges go all brown and crispy for the best flavor before flipping.

Serve these sweet potato hash browns up with a fried egg, as a side dish to scrambled eggs….or if you want to keep it 100% egg free, consider topping them with some garlic sautéed spinach and a breakfast sausage. The options are endless.

Enjoy!

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Sweet Potato Hash Browns

4.86 from 14 votes Prep: 10 minutes Cook: 5 minutes Total: 15 minutes Servings: 4 servings Author: Lisa BryanPrintPinReviewSaveSaved

Description

These healthy, sweet potato hash browns are utterly delicious and make for a family favorite breakfast.

Ingredients

▢ 1 medium sweet potato▢ 1 shallot▢ salt and pepper, to taste▢ 2 tbsp ghee (or avocado oil)

Instructions

Wash and peel the sweet potato. Use either a box grater or food processor to grate the sweet potato. Peel the shallot and finely dice it or grate it with the food processor. Stir together the grated sweet potato and shallot. Add salt and pepper to taste. Heat ghee or avocado oil in skillet (I prefer cast iron) on medium heat. Grab a small handful of the sweet potato and place in the skillet. Gently push down with a spatula and cook for 2-3 minutes, or until the edges are crispy. Flip and cook an additional 2-3 minutes. Serve immediately.

Nutrition

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Sweet Potato Hash Browns

Sweet Potato Hash Browns

Sweet Potato Hash Browns