Time To Try Out Your Electric Griddle

Have you been using your electric griddle as much as you can? Too often we only pull out this handy appliance when we want to make pancakes, then back into the cupboard it goes. That's a shame, there are so many great meals that can be prepared easily on your griddle. Most people think of breakfast when they are going to use their electric griddle, and it does work well for that purpose. Pancakes, eggs, bacon and sausages all cook up wonderfully on the griddle. One of my favorite breakfast foods is hash browns and they are much easier to prepare on your electric griddle than on the stove top.
Of course, hash browns aren't just for breakfast, they are a great side dish for any meal. Cooking them on your electric griddle gives them a nice, even crispy crust on both side, and clean up is a breeze.

What Kind Of Potato Should You Use?

Just look around your supermarket and count the number of potato varieties that you can find. Each type sounds better than the first but it does make a difference as to which type you use when you are going to make hash browns. I recommend Russet (also know as Idaho) for this recipe. This is the type of potato that McDonald's uses for their french fries and those people know their potatoes. A Russet flesh is white, a bit dry and mealy (which is a good thing despite the horrible description). They fry very nicely, crisp and brown like you want them to and taste great. This is a simple recipe with only 6 ingredients (including salt and pepper). A lot of the taste comes from the frying and the starches in the potatoes meeting heat. Be sure to use a good, sturdy spatula (pancake turner), you want to flip these only once and you want the entire patty to flip.

Ingredients:

• 1½ lbs. Russet Potatoes, peeled, washed and dried
• 1 tbsp. Fresh Parsley, minced
• 1 tbsp. Fresh Chives, minced
• ¼ tsp. Salt
• 1/8 tsp. Black Pepper Powder
• 1 tbsp. Vegetable Oil

Instructions:

• Grate potatoes; squeeze between paper towels to remove moisture.
• Preheat electric griddle at 300º.
• Toss grated potatoes, parsley, chives, salt and pepper in a bowl.
• Drizzle oil on griddle.
• Make patties of the potato mixture.
• Cook each side for 5 minutes, until golden brown.
• Serve hot.

There are a couple of short cuts that you can take. Frozen hash browns will work, just make sure you have all of the liquid removed. There is a lot of moisture (water) by weight in frozen hash browns and that will keep them from browning well. You can also add a few ingredients to dress up your hash browns. Onions work well, but it is best if they chopped fine and maybe grilled for a minute before you add them to the potato mix. The surface of your electric griddle is great for browning onions as well as hash browns! Add some cheese, mix in some cooked bacon, try some roasted peppers-the options are limited only by what is in your refrigerator.