Creating a blog was out of the question for a long time for me, as measuring everything in the kitchen was like biting into an eggshell. I enjoy cooking and don’t want to waste even a slightest bit of enjoyment in that small world of mine. But little did I know that everything will change, when my husband came home with the Oscar nominated film ‘Julie and Julia’( a real life story) where Julie Powell (part played by Amy Adams) challenged herself to make all the 524 recipes from Julia Child's cook book ‘Mastering the Art of French Cooking’ and blogging all her experiences (The Julie/Julia Project). It was an inspiring movie. A few days later when we were discussing this casually with a friend of ours over tea…everything changed dramatically…..” How about you making at least half of it in one year? Not French but your own. 262 recipes that will inspire others and present it as a blog?” For a minute my mind traveled faster than light… With an experience as a helper in my mother in laws kitchen for 6 years followed by a three year everyday struggle to satisfy the palate of my foodie husband, if I cannot do it then why should I cook? But on the other side with an experience in English literature extending no more than expanding outline stories in English grammar class when I was 18 and two small kids that come in handy at times, will a commitment for the next one year work? Anyway my ‘cook's ego’ didn’t allow me to say no...

So my friends …here I am opening my recipe book, trying to perfect and present 262 recipes in the coming 365 days….A Challenge that will of course tastes good. Come.. Have a walk with me along my journey.. Cheering and inspiring….Forgiving and tolerating…Testing and tasting….for ‘A Tasty Challenge’

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Tuesday, September 21, 2010

Hash Brown Potato

Recipe No: 81
This American Diner breakfast favorite happened to be my daughter’s favorite thing to eat in the mornings, especially after getting up late on a lazy Saturday morning. For me, it is comforting to see her enjoy what I made rather than eating something that came out of a box. She even had a peculiar way of eating it. She likes to have it with a Sunny side up Bull’s eye egg on top of hash browns. The sight of the egg yolk running over the hash browns when she cut into it, gives her some sort of a comfort, which I think is a feeling of ‘at home’.

Usually in restaurants this is made directly on the pan without precooking but as a short cut I fry it in the pan after partially cooking the potatoes in water in the microwave. That way, I can make sure that the potatoes are thoroughly cooked. This is what I do…
Ingredients                                                                  Serves 1
  • Potato………………..1 Medium sized
  • Vegetable Oil…….2-3 Tablespoons
  • Salt and Pepper to taste
Method of Preparation
  1. Grate the Potatoes into water using the big holes of a box grater.
  2. Wash thoroughly and put it in a microwave safe bowl. Add enough water to cover up the grated potatoes.
  3. Cook this in a microwave for 4-6 minutes. The Potatoes shouldn’t be over cooked. If you press a piece with your two fingers it should break comfortably but don’t mush up.
  4. Drain this and wash thoroughly with cold water. This step is very important as it get rid of most of the starch, which if stays back, will form a gel like thing which will not be very good to make hash browns.
  5. Drain and put the potato on a paper towel to take the extra moisture out.
  6. Heat a pan with 2 Tablespoons of oil on medium heat and put the potatoes in. Press slightly. Salt and Pepper the top. I would like my hash browns thin. But you can adjust the thickness to your liking.
  7. When one side is almost golden brown flip it. When you flip, it may fall apart which is totally fine. Once most of the portions are flipped, press it down one more time. Salt and pepper that side too. Drizzle one tablespoon of oil along the sides to make it crispy.
  8. When the second side is also brown slide it onto a plate (in one piece) and serve hot with other fixings or with a fried egg on top.
 




Make it, enjoy the deliciousness and 
serve it to your family with love...

1 comments:

SpicyTasty said...

Looks so good and inviting.

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