Recipes from around the world

Hashed Brown Potatoes

Ingredients

• 6 medium sized potatoes, peeled and cut into quarters
• ¼ lb. sliced streaky bacon
• 1 oz. butter
• 1 tsp. salt
• Freshly ground black pepper

Method

1. Bring 3 ½ pints of lightly salted water to a boil in a large pot and boil the potatoes uncovered until they can be easily pierced with the tip of a small, sharp knife.
2. Drain the potatoes in a colander, return to the pot and shake over a moderate heat until they are dry. Let the potatoes cool, then cut them into small dice.
3. In a heavy pan, preferably non-stick, cook the bacon until it has rendered all its fat and is crisp and brown. Remove the bacon with a perforated spoon and drain on paper towels.
4. Add the butter to the bacon fat and place over a moderate heat until the butter melts.
5. Add the potatoes, and sprinkle them with the salt and a few grindings of black pepper. Then press the potatoes down firmly into the pan with a spatula.
6. Cook over moderate heat, shaking the pan occasionally to prevent the edges from sticking. A brown crust should form on the bottom surface of the potatoes in about 20 minutes. Check by gently lifting the edge of the potatoes with a fish slice.
7. Cook for a few minutes longer, raising the heat if necessary to achieve the proper colour. They should be brown and crusty.
8.  To serve, cover the pan with a heated dish and grasping the pan and plate together, turn them upside down. The potatoes should fall out easily. 
9. Serve at once, sprinkled with the crumbled reserved bacon if desired.

         Serves 4-6