How To Make Hash Browns With Dehydrated Potatoes

by Texas Homesteader ~ 

I cooked whole potatoes, then cooled, shredded and dehydrated them. Now I can use those shredded dehydrated potatoes to make hash browns quickly!

I've had fun dehydrating fruits & veggies all year. Today I'm using shredded dehydrated potatoes to make hash browns quickly! #TexasHomesteader

Dehydrating Potatoes

I dehydrated several pounds of potatoes and found that when they were fully dehydrated they take up very little space. They were able to be stored in small repurposed jars.

And of course since they’re dehydrated they’re going to last much longer than a bag of potatoes would. I keep them all in a small labeled jar in my pantry.

So dehydrating is a great way to keep your fresh produce from going to waste before it can be eaten. You know how much I hate food waste, y’all!

How To Use Dehydrated Potatoes For Hash Browns

But today I decided to enjoy some of those dehydrated shredded potatoes with breakfast. I want to make hash browns to go with breakfast for RancherMan & me! 

We have plenty of eggs since our pastured flock is still laying great right now, lots of fresh homemade bread for toast, and even some delicious pear preserves I canned recently.  Adding homemade hash browns sure sounds like a great breakfast to me!

I’ve gotta say those hash browns turned out delicious and they were oh so easy. Here’s what I did: 

How To Rehydrate Dehydrated Potatoes

First I poured some of the dehydrated shredded potatoes into a bowl and covered them (just barely) with boiling water. Then I gave them a quick stir & put a cover on the bowl. I allowed the dehydrated shredded potatoes to rehydrate for about 15 minutes.

After that 15 minutes of rehydrating time they looked exactly the same as before I dehydrated them – just cooked shredded potatoes…

Secret To Crispy Hash Brown Texture

Inside Firm, Not Soggy – You don’t want any extra moisture remaining inside your rehydrated potatoes since it could result in your hash browns being soggy in the middle.

You see, extra moisture just adds steam as the hash browns cook, which could result in a soggy middle. I love hash browns with a crisp crust outside and a creamy potato inside, don’t you?

So when the rehydrated shredded potatoes are ready I’ll make sure to drain them thoroughly. Even pressing the potatoes gently in the strainer to make sure all the water is drained away.

Then I often spread them out to let them air dry a bit as I prepare the rest of breakfast, such as cooking the eggs & toasting the bread

Crispy Crust –  I really want hash browns with that signature crispy crust. But if I put my shredded potatoes in oil that’s not already hot, they will sit there and soak up the grease before it even starts to crisp. Surely not the texture I’m after!

So be sure your oil is already hot when you add the shredded potatoes to keep them from soaking up excess grease.

And I don’t try to flip my hash brown until a good, crispy crust has formed on the bottom. Not only does that assure the crispy texture I love, but it makes it easier to flip the hash brown without it falling apart.

How To Cook Hash Browns

By now the eggs are fried so I removed them from the cast-iron skillet and poured just a touch more oil into the still-hot pan. I allow the oil to get good and hot before I proceed. (see crispy crust note above)

Then I dropped my rehydrated shredded potatoes in the skillet, pressing them down lightly with the spatula to flatten them.

I divided the hash browns into quarters to make it easier to turn after each side was cooked crispy.

 I'm using shredded dehydrated potatoes to make hash browns quickly! #TexasHomesteader

Now here’s the drudgery-work-in-the-kitchen part – after browning each side for about 3-4 minutes I scooped up each section and placed them on our plates. How easy is that??!! 

(shhhhhh….)

I’ve used my rehydrated shredded potatoes stirred into scrambled eggs for breakfast burritos. 

But this was my first time to actually make rehydrated potatoes into hash browns, one of my favorite breakfast accompaniments.

I’ve got plenty of dehydrated potatoes in the pantry so I’ll be doing this a lot! I really love to make things for myself instead of relying on something from the freezer section of the grocery store.

Plus these hash browns are almost waste free (except for the bag the raw potatoes came in).  And they store for a long time in my pantry using no additional energy to keep them fresh. Love it!

~TxH~

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15 thoughts on “How To Make Hash Browns With Dehydrated Potatoes

  1. Tonia

    I have followed you for awhile, you are slowly turning me into a homesteader. Started gardening a couple years ago. Now after this post, I’m asking Santa for a dehydrator .

    Reply
  2. Katy SkipTheBag

    I wouldn’t have thought to dehydrate potatoes, but they would be perfect for something like this! Thanks for sharing on the #wastelesswednesday blog hop!

    Reply
  3. John White

    Hi Tammy. Just wondering if you have ever done the shredding in a food processor. I’m going to try that after the cooking and cooling. I need some hash browns. Also, are reds better than whites for this?

    Reply
  4. Kristina & Millie

    Awesome! I have so much fun dehydrating but then I don’t know what to do with it afterward, lol. This is a great way to use them! Thanks for linking up to Snickerdoodle Sunday.

    Reply
  5. Terri Presser

    Fantastic, didn’t even think about drying potatoes. What sort of dryer do you have?? We planted 100kgs of potatoes this year and they are going great. I really want to give this a go. thanks for sharing at Good Morning Mondays. Blessings

    Reply
    1. Texas Homesteader Post author

      I have this dehydrator –> http://amzn.to/1xtgEWY My first batch of dehydrated potatoes was done in the oven first (FAIL) and then a covered tray in the sun. The next batch will of course be done in my dehydrator – with 9 big trays it’s large enough to handle the job.

      Reply
  6. Erlene

    You are amazing. I love that you’re able to store so much food and not have to worry about wasting anything. Love it.

    Reply
  7. Texas Homesteader Post author

    I cooked the whole potatoes first (otherwise they turn black when you dehydrate them) and then I cooled the cooked potatoes in the fridge overnight. The next day I shredded the cold cooked potatoes with a hand-held grater and dehydrated the grated potatoes (in my case on a tray in the hot Texas sun). My post about it is here –> https://texashomesteader.com/draft-dehydrating-potatoes/ . So there was very basic equipment used to get the dehydrated potatoes for these hash browns. In the future I’ll be using my Excalibur dehydrator to dehydrate the potatoes, I LOVE it! –> http://amzn.to/1BqXPtS

    Reply
  8. Miranda G.

    I’ve been looking for a way to store potatoes for longer term since I have read that frozen potatoes don’t always come out so well. I am going to have to look into dehydrating them. Do I have to have any kind of special equipment?

    Reply
  9. Kirsten @ Treat Yourself Sweeter

    Oh yum! This is what I want for breakfast now 🙂 I love the idea of dehydrating the potatoes… I’ve never thought of doing that, thanks!

    Reply
  10. Suzie@homemaker-mom

    That is too cool! 🙂

    Reply
  11. Monica

    I love this sooooo much!! I just saw someone else talk about dehyrdrated potatoes. I had no idea it would work with such good results. I know what I’m trying out this week!! Thank you for sharing!

    Monica @ shesafarmer.com

    Reply
  12. Kim Anderson

    This is so smart. I didn’t know you could dehydrate potatoes like that. My husband really loves these. Now that I know, we will have to give it a shot at growing potatoes in our garden this year. Have you tried drying onions with them? Do you think that would work. We really like onions and peppers in our hash browns.

    Reply
  13. tessa

    They really do make the best hash browns – now you’ve inspired me to dehydrate potatoes! Like I needed another project. 😉 We shared on our FB page!

    Reply

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