Breakfast Recipes
Skillet Hash Browns with Smoked Salmon & Crème Fraîche
When the heart of a dish is an entire skillet of delightfully greasy, golden brown hash browns, you know you’re in for a good time, regardless of whatever else is on the plate. But there’s even more to love here: lush folds of smoked salmon, a tangy sauce of crème fraîche, buttermilk, lemon, caper brine, and chives and a scattering of bright dill fronds.
With all of those soft and creamy toppings, we want our hash browns super crispy to create some textural juxtaposition. How do we do it? First, we grate the potatoes and onion into cheesecloth and squeeze it over a strainer to get all of the water out. Second, we fry them up with lots of butter in a really hot pan. Third, once the potato shreds are in the pan, we press them together from the top and sides, so they crisp up into one giant hash brown. If you’ve pressed it and let it cook enough, the starches will hold it all together, so you can perform a swift single flip. The magic of potatoes!
We love making this dish on Saturday morning. It's the ideal combination of cozy and fresh for a sleepy yet smiley mornings after a night of fun. But it would also be wonderful for your friend group’s monthly brunch — just add a citrusy endive salad, fresh berries, and a batch of herbaceous sparkling grapefruit cocktails to round out the menu.
Servings: 2 to 4
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Skillet Hash Browns with Smoked Salmon & Crème Fraîche
Ingredients
Directions
Line a colander with cheesecloth or a clean kitchen towel and place it over a large bowl.
Using the large holes of a box grater, grate the onion and potatoes into the lined strainer. Wrap the cheesecloth around the grated vegetables and squeeze out as much water as possible. Discard the water.
Transfer the onions and potatoes to a rimmed baking sheet and spread them out. Sprinkle generously with salt and pepper.
In a nonstick sauté pan over medium-high heat, melt the butter. Add the veggies and use a spatula to press them into a cohesive ½”-thick layer.
Cook the hash brown until the bottom is brown and crispy, 6 to 8 minutes. Carefully flip it and cook for an additional 3 to 5 minutes, or until golden brown and crispy.
In a medium bowl, combine the crème fraîche, chives, buttermilk, caper juice, honey, and lemon zest. Set aside.
Transfer the hash brown to a plate and top it with slices of the smoked salmon. Drizzle the sauce over the hash brown, garnish it with the dill fronds, cut it into wedges, and serve it immediately.
Recipe source: Food Network