This is the “home chef” version of a fantastic side dish from one of our favorite Philadelphia restaurants, Butcher & Singer. There are so many things to love about the place, from it’s 1940’s Hollywood supper club vibe—right down to the big band music playing in the background—to its expert service and classic, perfectly prepared fare, its a transportive experience. When the Stuffed Hash Browns come to the table, though, time slows down a little. Crisp shredded potatoes with caramelized onions, sour cream and herbs inside them… Depending on how many people there are at our table with utensils in their hands, it can look a little like that scene in “The 300”, where the descending arrows block out the sun, only it the forks and knives bringing the darkness. They’re that good.

While the restaurant presents this dish as one large potato pancake for sharing, we figured it would be a little more practical—and not as potentially injurious—to give everyone their own individual portion. It’s more kitchen friendly, as well.  For this version, the onion filling is flavored with fresh rosemary and caramelized in rendered bacon fat, giving a smoky depth of flavor that plays nicely into any number of main courses, whether roasted or grilled.

The onion and rosemary mixture is then folded into the sour cream. It’s best to have the potatoes prepped by this point, otherwise the temptation to “taste test” the filling to the point where the photo below ends up on the side of a milk carton might be too strong.

To build each cake, simply portion and place the base layer of potatoes in the pan, spoon the filling into the center and top with another layer of potatoes.

Each cake is then pan fried to a golden brown, with the creamy, caramelized filling lurking just below the crust like a buried treasure waiting to be unearthed.  Whatever you serve—steak, chicken, pork, lamb—it’ll most likely end up taking a backseat to these potatoes, so keep it simple.

While this dish is a spectacular side for any meal, we’re always looking for potential brunch dishes, and the hash brown’s history as a breakfast side made this a shoo-in for that category.

Following our own advice (and because Kyle can’t resist putting them on everything), we simply topped the cake with a perfectly fried, beautifully runny egg.  How could it possibly get any more perfect?

Inspired by the dish at Butcher & Singer.

Stuffed Hash Browns

 

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Ingredients

• 2 slices bacon, diced
• ½ medium onion, thinly sliced
• 1 rosemary sprig
• 1 ½ teaspoons kosher salt, plus more to taste
• ¼ teaspoon black pepper, plus more to taste
• 1 ½ pounds Russet Potatoes, baked and cooled
• ¼ cup sour cream
• 3 tablespoons canola oil

Instructions

1. In a large saute pan over medium heat, cook bacon until crisp, about 5 minutes. Remove bacon with a slotted spoon and reserve on a plate line with paper towel.
2. Add onion and rosemary to the pan and cook, stirring occasionally, until onions soften and begin to brown, about 8 to 10 minutes. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Remove from pan heat, pluck out the rosemary and reserve cooked onions.
3. Peel the potatoes and grate them on the side of a box grater. In a medium bowl, mix shredded potatoes, 1 ½ teaspoons salt and ¼ teaspoon black pepper.
4. Before cooking, combine onions, sour cream and reserved bacon in a small bowl.
5. Heat a large skillet over medium heat and add canola oil. Form potatoes into 8 evenly sized discs, and add 4 of them to the skillet. Top them with equal amounts of onion mixture, then place remaining potato discs on top to form 4 stuffed hashbrowns.
6. Cook hash browns until brown and crisp, about 4 to 5 minutes per side.
7. Optional: top with fried egg.

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