Who doesn’t like a plate full of hash browns? Browned just right with some salt and oil, they’re tasty served alone or paired with another food like eggs or bacon. Awesome fact: Sweet potatoes and yams are in a different family (family Convolvulaceae) than regular potatoes (family Solanaceae), which means they are acceptable within the ‘no nightshades’ rule of AIP and paleo eating. Hooray! Chow down! If you haven’t tried hash browns with either of these potato-like vegetables, get cooking – they are delicious.
But wait… I have to go on a tangent for a moment here… did you know that what we commonly call ‘yams’ in the U.S. aren’t actually real yams? The ones called “Garnet” or “Jewel” yams. Yep. They’re in the same family as sweet potatoes (family Convolvulaceae). True yams (family Dioscoreaceae) are common in Africa, Asia, Latin America, and the Caribbean, but are typically only seen in the U.S. in international markets. I know… I linked to Wikipedia, which is sort-of a no-no in the writing world. But hey, we’re talking about tubers here. If you want the backstory on why some sweet potatoes are called yams in the U.S., click here.
I used to be a BIG potato fan. Baked, scalloped, mashed, home fried, hash browns, french fries… yes, I’m a bit of a carb junkie. I’m happy I can substitute sweet potatoes for any dish I would’ve used regular spuds for. In case you’re not very familiar with them, white sweet potatoes act more like regular potatoes than yams do.
When I was 17, I did a NOLS mountaineering course in the mountains of Wyoming, and one of my favorite foods was the freeze-dried hash browns. So good! I’ve only had them a few times since then, so I decided it was time to make my own dried AIP version. Here’s the how-to. You can use yams; they turn out a bit softer and sweeter, but they’re still delicious.
Sweet Potato Hash Browns
One medium sweet potato cooks up into a nice amount for one person. Adjust as desired, and dehydrate lots so you can use them any time! One medium sweet potato measures about 1/2 cup once dried and crumbled so there’s very little air space between the pieces. If you’re drying a bunch of your own spuds, you may want to gauge it for yourself since you could be using different size spuds.
1. Wash and trim sweet potatoes. You can peel them if you like; I prefer the skin on.
2. Grate the sweet potato with a grater, mandoline slicer or food processor.
wash and drain the spuds in a colander
3. Wash the grated potato in a colander under cold running water until the water runs clear. This is important for hash browns; washing removes the starch and helps them cook up better. Don’t skip it! If you’re concerned with water use, soak them instead for about 10 minutes in plenty of water.
4. Drain spuds thoroughly in the colander.
boiling the spuds
5. Bring a large pot of water to a boil, leaving plenty of room for the spuds to be added without overflowing it.
6. Carefully put the spuds in the boiling water and boil for 3 minutes.
7. Pour the spuds back into the colander in the sink to drain, and run cold water over them until they are cool to the touch. This is to quickly stop the cooking process.
8. One handful at a time, squeeze all the excess water out of the spuds and place them in a separate bowl. The more water you remove, the faster the drying time.
9. Spread out evenly and thinly on a dehydrator tray (one medium spud fills one tray).
spuds laid out before drying
one medium spud after drying
10. Dehydrate at 125°F for 5 to 7 hours. Check a couple times during drying for clumps that need separating. The sweet potatoes should be completely dry, and crunchy to the touch. If you are not certain they are dry, dry them some more. You can’t over-dry them!
11. Let spuds cool thoroughly on dehydrator tray.
12. Remove from dehydrator tray and store in an airtight container in a cool, dark place. See my Food Drying 101 page for more details on food drying and storage.
Cooking and Serving Tips
Cooking up hash browns in camp is easy. Each serving is 1/2 cup dried sweet potatoes.
1. Cover the hash browns in water, then soak for 5 minutes. Hot water is ideal, but cold is fine. Remember that using untreated water is a bad idea. Trust the gal who’s had giardia twice (not by her own fault, though!)
2. Drain off any extra water.
3. Heat a pan to medium-high heat. Using plenty of coconut or olive oil, cook the hash browns, stirring occasionally to prevent sticking. Add salt and pepper (NOT AIP) to taste. If you like your hash browns nicely browned, don’t stir too much. Ample oil will help prevent sticking.
4. Eat right away; they get cold fast and are best hot off the pan!
cooking up the hash browns
hashers and bacon! I ate these while writing this post. YUM!
Handy print-out guide for in-camp preparation:
- One serving is ½ cup sweet potatoes.
- Cover the hash browns in water, then soak for 5 minutes. Hot water is ideal, but cold is fine. Remember that using untreated water is a bad idea.
- Drain off any extra water.
- Heat a pan to medium-high heat. Using plenty of coconut or olive oil, cook the hash browns, stirring occasionally to prevent sticking. Add salt and pepper (NOT AIP) to taste. If you like your hash browns nicely browned, don't stir too much. Ample oil will help prevent sticking.
- Eat right away; they get cold fast and are best hot off the pan!
