Food Recipes Side Dishes Potato Dishes Julia Child's Hash Browns 3.6 (8) 8 Reviews These potatoes are crispy outside, creamy inside, and as delicious with fried eggs as they are with roast chicken. By Julia Child Julia Child Julia Child was a longtime Food & Wine contributor, a household name, and a champion of French cuisine. She authored Mastering the Art of French Cooking, a world-renowned tome with more than 500 recipes, two volumes, and more than five language translations, and starred on cooking show The French Chef for nine seasons. Food & Wine's Editorial Guidelines Updated on October 19, 2023 Rate PRINT Share Total Time: 30 mins Yield: 2 servings Julia Child riffed on her friend James Beard's recipe when she made these hash browns. Beard, the famous cookbook author and food expert for whom the James Beard Foundation was named, was a fan of the crisp, informal kind of hash browns made famous in the days of short-order cooks. At breakfast time, they'd grab a handful of boiled potatoes and toss them into a pan of fresh bacon fat. As the potatoes formed a nice brown crust on the bottom, the cook would dribble over a little butter, which would trickle all the way down. Then the potatoes were ready to be browned on the other side and turned out onto a warm platter. Matt Taylor-Gross / Food Styling by Debbie Wee Frequently asked questions Why won't my hash browns get crispy? For the crispiest hash browns, be sure to thoroughly pat the potatoes dry. Using a nonstick skillet will help them develop a lovely golden crust that releases cleanly from the pan and stays intact when flipped. Should you use butter or oil for hash browns? Both! Butter caramelizes on the outsides of the potatoes, bringing delicious flavor and crispiness. Oil keeps the butter from burning and the potatoes from sticking to the pan, promoting evenly cooked hash browns. For a meaty, smoky flavor, swap in bacon fat for the vegetable oil or half of the butter. Notes from the Food & Wine Test Kitchen Child uses a combination of vegetable oil and butter here, but you can swap in bacon fat for either the vegetable oil or for half of the butter if you want to get that meaty, smoky flavor. Yukon Gold or other waxy potatoes work best; they have a slightly higher sugar content, so they brown nicely. This recipe is a great option if you have leftover cooked potatoes on hand. Pull them from the refrigerator a few minutes before frying to lose some of the chill, then proceed as usual. Ingredients 1 pound Yukon Gold potatoes, peeled and cut into 1/2-inch pieces 4 cups water 1 teaspoon kosher salt, plus more to season 2 tablespoons vegetable oil 2 tablespoons unsalted butter, divided Freshly ground black pepper Directions Put the potatoes in a medium saucepan, add 4 cups of water and 1 teaspoon salt, and bring to a boil. Simmer, partially covered, until almost tender. Drain and pat dry. Heat a 10-inch nonstick skillet. Add the vegetable oil and 1 tablespoon of the butter. When the foam subsides, add the potatoes and cook, tossing, until lightly golden. Season with salt and pepper and roughly mash the potatoes with a spatula. Dot the remaining 1 tablespoon of butter over the potatoes, cover, and cook until crusty on the bottom, about 3 minutes. Slide the potatoes onto a plate and invert them back into the pan. Cook until the underside is nice and crusty. Slide the potatoes onto a platter and serve. Originally appeared: October 1996 Rate It Print