Oven Roasted Hash Brown Cakes

December 8th, 2009

These are not potato latkes. My friend Maxine will be delivering her Hanukkah potato latkes to me soon. I can hardly wait. And they are not the potato pancakes my Mother used to make. My Mother would stand at the stove frying batch after batch of crispy potato pancakes which we would devour with syrup or applesauce. These hash browns have an advantage. They are cooked in the oven and they are absolutely delicious. I was skeptical of the method of cooking but they turn out crispy and flavorful. We had them for dinner last night with a pork roast and I have to say, it was an excellent meal; one in which you make noises of pleasure.
The potato cakes are larger than potato pancakes so normally one cake per person would be enough. The directions say that the recipe can easily be doubled and can be made ahead of time and reheated when needed. I was planning on saving two to see how well they did the second time around, but we ate them all. If you double the recipe you will need a lot of space in the oven because you will need two large sheet pans. This recipe was featured in Bon Appetit with the Torta Rustica so it would be good for your Christmas brunch. And even better if you can do them ahead of time.

OVEN ROASTED HASH BROWN CAKES
1 1/2 cups paper thin onion slices
1 pound Yukon Gold potatoes, peeled and grated ( Do not substitute any other potato)
1 tsp salt, divided
2 Tbls unsalted butter, melted
Preheat oven to 425 degrees F. ( I think 400 degrees F would be better). Butter large rimmed nonstick baking sheet. Place onion in large bowl. Toss potatoes with 1/2 teaspoon salt in medium bowl. Let stand 5 minutes. Using hands, squeeze out excess liquid from potaotoes. Add potatoes, 1/2 teaspoon salt, and melted butter to onion. Toss to coat.
Divide mixture into 4 mounds on prepared baking sheet, spacing apart. Roast 15 minutes, then turn mounds over with spatula, pressing down to flatten to 4-inch-diameter rounds (cakes will still be soft). Reduce oven temperature to 350 degrees F, bake until cakes are golden and crisp around edges, about 45 minutes longer.
You could also make these smaller, dice the onion, and serve them as an appetizer topped with sour cream and smoked salmon. Adjust the cooking time accordingly.

13 responses to “Oven Roasted Hash Brown Cakes”

  1. Penny, these look delicious. They would be a great side with so many different dishes. Thanks….

  2. ARLENE says:

    I have a very large bag of potatoes that DSO brought back from hunting camp and there’s snow forecast for tomorrow. I’ll be making these cakes to freeze for appetizers along with my sugarplums (thank you, George).

  3. Karine says:

    That is an original recipe! Great use of potatoes 🙂

  4. I always make latkes for Christmas morning breakfast. You are right that these sure look like them. they sound wonderful, and they sound very easy… I am steaming sausages in beer this weekend, and these could very well accompany those little devils… Great recipe, as always

  5. They do look tasty! I have some gravlax curing in the fridge and was just thinking it would be nice on potato cakes.

  6. Kat says:

    I want to go make them and eat them right now! Great looking, easy dish. I will for sure try these. I love Hashbrowns.

  7. Barbara says:

    Nothing more comforting than potatoes! Yours look fabulous. Nice and crunchy.

  8. kellypea says:

    My mother used to make something similar, but with left over mashed potatoes. We’d absolutely love these potato cakes. I’ll have to pass this recipe on to my husband who’s the resident Sunday breakfast maker. I know he’ll dish me up a batch!

  9. Penny~~~

    Your hash browns look delicious and the recipe very doable. I would never think to put them in the oven, but that is a very convenient and less messy way to do it. Can’t wait to try it with pork! I’ll bet my husband will put his applesauce right on top!

    I also looked at your recipe for the Torta Rustica. Oh, the combination of spinach and red pepper sounds heavenly! This I am going to try out as a brunch first, as I think I need an ‘overnighter’ for Christmas.

    Thanks so much. I’ll be back to see what else you have cooking! 😉

    xoxo
    Jane

  10. Me again, Penny! Thank you for coming by! Our home is on Diamond Lake and I have vacationed on the Sister Lakes many times (before we bought our home on Diamond). Wow…we have a bit in common, don’t we?! It will be nice to get to know you!

    xoxo
    Janie

  11. Mary says:

    Penny, these look just delicious!

  12. BMK says:

    These look terrific. I love the idea of baking them instead of frying. These are going on my list to try.

  13. Katy ~ says:

    I do something similar, just don’t grate the potatoes, just thin slices and baked. This look much nicer. I’m going to give these a try. Love potatoes for breakfast (or any other time for that matter, blushes!)

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