Every once in a while I end up with a few too many of a certain kind of veggie on my hands… right about now I am up to my ears in peppers and potatoes. One of the best things about eating what’s in season is that by the time you have run out of ways to cook a particular vegetable, hopefully the season is ending and you can move onto something new.
This is where I am at with peppers… And yet my garden shows no signs of ending its prolific pepper production. So… why not add some peppers into our grated potato hash browns? Peppers add a lot of extra nutrients and vitamins as well as a punch of color.
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| My littlest pepper picker … tasting a spicy one! |
Making your own hash browns is super easy. All you need is a couple of potatoes and a grater. I find that a simple box grater work best for this job. If you want to get fancy with the recipe, you can add in onion and garlic, or in this case, onion, garlic, and peppers. Since you have your grater in use, you can also use it to grate your onion and garlic and save yourself some chopping…
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| A few extra NC potatoes on hand as well… |
Ingredients:
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| Beautiful red pepper |
Potatoes – 2 or 3 medium to large, washed but not peeled
2 cloves of garlic, finely chopped or grated
1/2 small onion, chopped or grated
1/2 bell pepper (or more), chopped
1 T. olive oil
1/2 T. butter
Salt and Pepper
Directions:
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| Garlic, peppers, and potatoes |
1. Grate potatoes and press them between kitchen towels or paper towels to remove as much excess moisture as possible.
2. In a large pan, heat olive oil and butter over medium heat. Add onion, garlic, and potatoes when butter is melted and the pan is hot.
3. Gently stir the ingredients so that they all get a little bit of the olive oil and butter. Sprinkle with a little bit of salt and then step away from the stove so that the potatoes can crisp up. Give it a few minutes – maybe five.
4. Add the red peppers and stir the potatoes. If you like your potatoes extra crispy, you can cook them flat like a pancake and then flip them all at once. I don’t have the patience so I usually give them a quick stir here and there until I think they are ready.
5. Once your hash browns are cooked to your liking, remove to a plate and serve! My total cooking time is generally between 10 and 15 minutes after I put the potatoes into the pan.
Hash browns are great for breakfast, lunch, or dinner. My kids love them as an afterschool snack – as do I!
