Ina Garten’s Waffle Iron Hash Browns

Disclaimer: I knew this was Ina Garten’s recipe before testing, as I own the cookbook it’s from. While that did mean my expectations were higher than normal, the Barefoot Contessa’s recipe delivers and works as written. I may draw an issue with the naming (the egg/flour/onion makes them more a latke than a hash brown) but the flavor is there and they were delicious to eat.

I tested these Ina Garten’s waffle iron hash browns in a round, American-style waffle maker (rather than the Belgian pictured above) and had great success using the medium-high setting for 9 minutes per waffle, using a generous 1/2 cup of mixture per round waffle, spreading it out each time before closing the lid. The waffles were crispy and the potato cooked all the way through. We ate ours with homemade roasted applesauce, sour cream, black pepper, and chives and they made a great breakfast. I can only imagine how good they would be with a sunny-side-up egg on top. I can’t tell you how well they reheat, because there were no leftovers, and that’s a sign on its own.

Advice: The side that is face-down in the waffle iron will fill in and look the best and should be the “presentation side”…so plan for that side to be face up when you serve them. The only change I’d make is using a little less onion next time since my onion was rather large.

It was “breakfast for dinner” at my house tonight and these Ina Garten’s waffle iron hash browns were a hit! They were a bit more time-consuming than I expected but I did appreciate that they could be warmed in the oven until serving. They very much have a latke vibe, without all the grease of frying which I absolutely loved! We ate them with bacon, eggs, and ketchup—a perfect diner meal!

What a lovely change from your everyday hash browns or potato pancake. These Ina Garten’s waffle iron hash browns tasted like a cross between hash browns and a good potato pancake. What I presented to my family for Sunday Brunch was a plate full of golden brown crispy hash brown waffles. And it didn’t take them long to clear that plate. I know this sounds like a lot of work for waffles, but they were charming on the plate and according to my family the size didn’t matter, they tasted great. I can’t wait for my grandchildren to come by so I can make this again for them.

After grating the potato and onion, I cheated a bit and put the gratings into a fine-mesh sieve to drain while getting the other ingredients prepared, wrapped them in a tea towel, and spun it in the salad spinner. It was so much faster than wringing things out and the shredded potato and onion came out in nice dry shreds. Mixing the batter only took a few minutes since everything was in place. I only have a small 4″ waffle iron so it was going to take a while to cook them all since I can only do 1 at a time. I kept the cooked ones warm in the oven and each waffle only took 6 to 8 minutes to cook provided I didn’t overfill the little well.

This is a brilliant way to make hash browns. I loved that it was easy and doable. I don’t think I have ever made hash browns before, but I already have plans to make these Ina Garten’s waffle iron hash browns again. The finished results were excellent, potatoes were perfectly browned and crispy on the outside, soft on the inside, and completely exceeded my expectations. I’m also quite happy to have yet another use for my waffle maker, courtesy of Leite’s Culinaria. Previously, I learned to use my waffle maker for grilled cheese, which we still do on a regular basis. We served our hash browns with grilled brats.