This Trick Lets You Make Waffle House Hash Browns In Your Own Kitchen

The most important takeaway from Daniels' observation is to drain those potatoes! Dry potatoes cook up crispy. You can use frozen shreds, or you can shred a fresh potato, in which case, soak the shreds in cool water for a few minutes to remove some of the starch. Rinse and drain on a cloth or paper towel, using another to pat them dry. (You could also try this trick of "par-cooking" them in the microwave for faster drying.) Once the potato shreds are well-drained, heat a skillet over medium-high and add equal parts of oil and butter. When the skillet is hot, scatter a thin layer of potatoes over the bottom, press them down, then let them sizzle for five or six minutes. Once the edges are brown and crispy, flip the hash browns and cook until browned on the other side. Drain the cooked hash browns on a paper towel.

If you're a hash brown purist, you'll then eat them au naturel, but Waffle House offers a bunch of different toppings. If you want to re-create the menu, you can serve your hash browns with grilled onions, melted cheese, ham, grilled tomatoes, jalapenos, mushrooms, chili, or sausage gravy. Or you could go off-script and dream up your own toppings like green chile, chorizo, smoked salmon, raspberry jam ... whatever you like, whenever you wish. After all, your kitchen is also open 24/7, at least if you want it to be!