As someone who does not frequent the drive through that much, there is one item I will without hesitation get in the car to go get – the McDonald’s breakfast hash brown. There’s something about their small crispy hash browns that are simply out of this world. I was experimenting in the kitchen one day and came up with my own version that had the same crispy outside and fluffy interior as their famous breakfast menu item. The best part – only 3 ingredients needed!

I’m quite proud of this one and it was even featured in The Kitchn!

Why Do Homemade?

Food is not cheap – If there’s an opportunity to make my own at home and save a few dollars, those dollars add up.
Control of ingredients – you can control what oil you use, how to fry, and more when you make this recipe at home!
It’s fun – cooking is FUN and I feel it’s a genuine skill to be able to master a copycat version of McDonald’s hash brown recipe!

Ingredients

2 russet potatoes
1 egg
1 tbsp of cornstarch
Optional: salt

Equipment

Cutting board
Cutting knife
Peeler
Grater
Large Stovetop Pot
Strainer
Baking Sheet
Parchment Paper
Frying Pan or Air Fryer

Need equipment recommendations? Check out my storefront here! (affiliate partner)

Step 1: Prep Your Potatoes

The first part of the recipe is to prepare our potatoes. I peeled my potatoes and cut them into thirds. I find that cutting them into thirds allows them to cook quicker and more evenly. Then I parboiled them – this means we are only cooking them partially. The rest of the cooking will be done in the frying process.

I boiled my potatoes for 8-10 minutes. Once your time is up, drain the water from the pan and let them cool for about 5 minutes. This will make it easier when you grate them, so you do not burn yourself.

Step 2: Grate and Shape

In a large bowl, grate your potatoes. Make a small well in the potatoes and crack your 1 egg and add 1 tbsp of cornstarch. You are going to thoroughly mix this. It does get a bit sticky, but that is how we want it! Once the potato mixture is fully mixed, shape them on to a baking sheet lined with parchment paper.

Step 3: Freeze & Fry

We are going to freeze our hash brown for 45 minutes. You do not need to freeze these completely, but I find that it is helpful in holding their shape in the frying process. If you do not freeze them partially, they make break easier in the oil and loose their shape.

Lastly, heat up your oil and fry. For 3 hash browns at a time, mine took about 10 minutes to fry. I wanted to make sure they were extra crispy when they came out! Do not fry on the hottest setting – this will burn the outside before the inside is cooked. Fry on medium to high heat. Once they are done frying you can add an optional pinch of salt!