HASH BROWNS

Ingrediants:
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potatos (any kind work - I like Idaho bakers)
oil (I perfer bacon fat or peanut oil)
Optional ingrediants (all to taste and based on the number and size of
the potatos)
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diced onions
bacon sliced into small pieces
grated chedder cheese
Instructions:
Peel the potatoes (this is also optional - I usually am lazy and leave
the peel on).
Grate the patatoes.
Thorouhly wash the grated potato in cold water. This is a key step. It
washes out much of the starch and will allow them to cook crispier.
Squeeze the water out of the potato in a paper or cloth towel. Melt the
fat in hot frying pan (black cast iron works best) or add the peanut
oil. The potato will soak up a lot of oil, but be careful, they can
taste oily if you add too much.
Slowly add the grated potatos - be careful of splattering the oil since they
are wet.
You can leave them in place and then flip when one side is golden brown.
I prefer to stir them frequently so all the little pieces brown. If you
do this, when you are about half done, you can add the bacon and onions
(any earlier and they tend to burn - esp the onion). If you do not stir
the potatos, mix the sliced onion and pre-cooked bacon in with the
potatoes ahead of time (bacon this way must be pre-cooked to ensure it
all is cooked.
Keep stirring every two minutes or so until they reaceh your desired
browness. Near the very end, you can grate some cheese over the
potatos.
Method 2:
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Use left over baked potato - or bake one for 7 minutes in the
micro-wave. Do all the above steps except wash the potato