# How do you brown potatoes?



## nhoj (Jan 14, 2015)

I have tried to brown Potatoes without luck.
I have boiled them and tried brown them in butter, but they fall apart while browning them.

What am I doing wrong?


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## Andy M. (Jan 14, 2015)

Are you talking about roasting potatoes or cut up potatoes for home fries etc.?  

I think your potatoes broke apart because you cooked them first.


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## Cheryl J (Jan 14, 2015)

I'd skip the boiling part.  It's adding too much liquid in them for them to brown properly.    

Try slicing them in 1/4" or so slices and while you are slicing them, heat up your frying pan and add equal amounts of butter and cooking oil.  Not very much.  Fry them until they brown on one side, flip them, and turn the heat down, cover, and cook on low until tender.


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## larry_stewart (Jan 14, 2015)

A nonstick pan would be helpful too.  Potatoes will stick to the pan, causing them to break up easily


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## Bookbrat (Jan 14, 2015)

I do the same as Cheryl, except I dice them into about 1/2" pieces and toss in a little chopped onion. Depend on how you like them. 

We also like home fries. Leftover baked potatoes, frying pan is heated, then add butter. Plop the potatoes into the pan and break them up with a spatula, then fry until they're browned. They don't get as crispy, but awfully good with chicken fried steak and cream gravy. And easy.


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## Dawgluver (Jan 14, 2015)

*How do you brown Potatoes*

No boiling.  Make sure your potatoes are really dry, pat with paper towels.  Good suggestions from the previous posts.

If you have a waffle iron, I've seen some wonderful crusty hash browns made in them.  Haven't tried it, but they look really good.  You can also do hash browns in a skillet or on a griddle.  Again, I would make sure there's no moisture.


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## GotGarlic (Jan 14, 2015)

If you wait to try to turn them in a stainless steel pan, they will brown and release beautifully. If they stick, they're not ready to turn.


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## Dawgluver (Jan 14, 2015)

Another thought would be to bake Tater Tots.  They're pretty fool-proof, and tasty to boot!  (We have a few Tots fans here on DC...)


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## Caslon (Jan 15, 2015)

Saw this on the aisle.  A small $2.49 milk carton container of hash browns, serves 6.  All you add is water and pan fry I suppose.


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## Aunt Bea (Jan 15, 2015)

These are nice made using chicken or beef fat instead of shortening.  If you need to do them in the same oven as the roast start them at the same temperature as the roast and then when the roast is removed from the oven stir the potatoes and increase the temperature to crisp up the potatoes.

How To Make Extra Crispy Roast Potatoes Recipe (Roast Dinners)


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## medtran49 (Jan 15, 2015)

Whenever I do potatoes that are chunked or cubed, I always precook by steaming them, whether on the stove or the microwave, to where they are just barely beginning to soften on the outside.  Then I dump them on paper towels to blot off excess moisture, then continue cooking from there.  They always come out nicely browned/crispy/crunchy on the outside and soft and fluffy on the inside.

If I cook sliced potatoes, I start them out covered, then uncover for last 10-15 minutes so they'll crisp up nicely.


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## salt and pepper (Jan 15, 2015)

If you want to par-boil them, that's fine. Don't over cook them though. Then put the taters on a pan & place in your oven at 300 degrees until they stop steaming. Fry them in butter or you can add some oil in with the butter. For home fries it's best to use day old baked potato's which you don't have to re-cook.


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## callmaker60 (Jan 16, 2015)

sliced potatoes, sliced onions, sliced green peppers, salt pepper, oil, cook on low heat and covered, and turn often.


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## GrillingFool (Jan 16, 2015)

When browning potatoes, patience is a virtue. Definitely pat them dry, generous amount of bacon fat or oil, nice and hot. Dump the potatoes in and, as Alton Brown says, walk away. Give them time to get nice and crispy before you stir them.


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## CharlieD (Jan 18, 2015)

depends on what the OP really wanted to do. But you can brown boiled potato too. Simply leave them alone in the frying pan until they are browned, Do not stir them, don to bother them. Just like you would with frozen Hash Browns. Wait till they are browned on one side then carefully flip them over.


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