I can cook a great many things very well but for whatever reason, I cannot seem to cook hashbrowns on the stovetop successfully. I never get them evenly brown and worse yet I sometimes (okay, nearly always) end up burning them. It is now a running joke in my family. Imagine my relief when I discovered a foolproof way to cook evenly golden, crispy delicious hashbrowns – in the oven! You just need a sheet pan, your usual bag of frozen shredded potatoes (though you could certainly shred your own), and a few extra goodies to go along with it. (Spoiler alert: there’s cheese involved.)
I love hashbrowns so it’s a little bit of a tragedy that I’m so inept at cooking them. Still, I never gave up. I never really succeeded either… but I found a new method that works incredibly well and here we are. It all worked out in the end. Here’s how you do it:
Get a bowl. Add your bag of hashbrowns, along with some garlic powder, salt and pepper, and olive oil. Also add a beaten egg and some cheddar cheese (more on that in a second) and toss to combine.
INGREDIENTS
1 (16 oz) bag frozen hash browns
1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil
1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
1 large egg, beaten
1 cup cheddar cheese, grated
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste
PREPARATION
Preheat oven to 400°F.
In a medium bowl, combine hash browns, olive oil, and garlic powder. Season with salt and pepper, add egg and cheese, and toss to combine.
Spread out into an even layer on a rimmed baking sheet lined with aluminum foil and bake until crispy, about 30 minutes. Enjoy!