Whole30: Spicy Sweet Potato Hash Browns

Well, we made it through the first day of the Whole30. There were a few questions from E, who was probably mourning the loss of his Diet Dr. Pepper among other things (“What can a caveman have to drink besides water?”), and an occasional dubious raised eyebrow (in response to the sliced apple and Sunbutter I handed him mid-afternoon). But overall, we’re talking flying colors, here.

We had nitrate-free Canadian bacon (left over from our Father’s Day Eggs Benedict) and fried eggs for breakfast with a side of blueberries. Lunch was a salad for me and some seasoned pan-seared chicken for E. An apple with Sunbutter held us through the long afternoon, and we finished the day with brats, sweet potato oven fries and a tangy coleslaw for dinner. Oh, and we broke the water trend with some iced tea.

Since Day One’s meals were pretty self-explanatory, I’m going to give you one of my practice recipes from a few weeks back when I was trying things out: Spicy Sweet Potato Hash Browns. I love sweet potato fries and will take them over regular potato fries on any given day, but I never considered sweet potato hash browns until I began trying figure out what the heck I was going to have for breakfast during the Whole30. I was staring down a prospective month of eggs, and contemplating whether or not I could really give up my weekend pancakes and pastries for that long. In desperation, I dreamed up these hash browns, and I tell you, I can’t wait to make them again.

The key piece in this recipe is really the spice mixture, which reminds me of the seasoning Five Guys uses on their Cajun fries. It’s a variation on Jenny Rosenstrach‘s fry spice from Dinner: A Love Story, and I use it on all kinds of things these days, from burgers to chicken to oven fries. It has some serious kick, so be warned. If you’re heat shy, leave out the cayenne. I keep some on hand in one of these little jars, which are a perfect size for storing your own spice blends.

You’ll need a large, deep skillet and coconut oil for frying, three large sweet potatoes or four smaller ones, and a couple of teaspoons of fry spice. The trick with any kind of hash browns is to keep the pan on medium-high heat so that you don’t scorch the potatoes, to press down on them with your spatula, compressing the shredded potatoes together into a sort of potato cake, and to turn them in sections so they don’t fall apart.

I topped these with a couple of over-easy fried eggs, and the warm yolks dripped deliciously down into the sweet potato shreds. They were delicious, but any kind of eggs will do.

Spicy Sweet Potato Hash Browns

For the spice mixture:
1/8 teaspoon cayenne pepper
1/8 teaspoon white pepper
1/2 teaspoon paprika
1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
1/2 teaspoon fine grain sea salt

For the hash browns:
3 large or 4 smaller sweet potatoes, peeled and cut into large chunks
2-3 tablespoons coconut oil (enough to coat the bottom of the pan generously)
2 teaspoons water
2-3 teaspoons fry spice (enough to coat your hash browns without overdoing it)

Using the shredder plate on your food processor, shred the sweet potatoes (or you can do this by hand on a box grater).

In a large bowl, toss the sweet potatoes with the water, then with the fry spice, being sure they’re all coated evenly.

In the skillet over medium-high heat, melt the coconut oil.

When the oil is hot, add the sweet potatoes, spreading them evenly over the surface of the skillet and pressing down firmly with a spatula. Do not stir!

Cook 5-6 minutes, lifting an edge with your spatula every so often to ensure nothing is burning, and reducing the heat of necessary.

When the hash browns are crispy on the bottom, use the spatula to flip them, a section at a time, carefully so that they don’t fall apart. Cook the other side another five minutes or so, until crispy.

While the other side cooks, make your eggs.

When the hash browns are crispy on the bottom, remove to a plate and top with your eggs.

Serves 2-4 depending on serving size.

Here’s the printable recipe.