Pommes de Terre pour le Petit Dejeuner

Old-fashioned home fries / hash browns a la local diner

• Ready In: 8 hrs 15 mins
• Serves: 4

Ingredients

•  potato, raw
•  bacon grease

Directions

1. Peel and prepare the spuds however you like for the final product, ie diced, sliced as thin as potato chips, or grated.
2. Next, for the real old-fashioned diner-type spud, parboil them THE NIGHT BEFORE!
3. They should be dropped into rapidly boiling water, and then returned to a boil- by the time the water has returned to a"rolling" boil, they should be done.
4. Stir them a couple times and taste-test one or two- the"crunch" of fresh spuds should be all gone, but they can't be mushy- then, drain them completely and run COLD water over them until they are no longer warm (If you fail to do this, the internal heat of the spuds will continue to cook them).
5. NOTE: If using grated or very thinly sliced potatoes, drain and rinse them before the water returns to a full boil, because they will cook very quickly.
6. Store the drained, parboiled spuds in a sealed container in the fridge and refrigerate overnight.
7. Next morning, pull out the amount of spuds you'll need- about 1 medium potato or 1 large handful per person.
8. Then, pre-heat a skillet or griddle until a drop of water"dances".
9. Add your bacon grease- the amount is up to you and the quantity you're cooking- you will need enough to lightly coat all the spuds.
10. Keep the cooking heat around a medium temperature- grills in diners are kept at a constant temperature all day long, and you need even heat for best results.
11. Use a heavy cast-iron or aluminum pan or griddle- you are going to be dropping cold spuds into hot grease and thin pans will cool off rapidly, requiring extra cooking time to re-heat the pan.
12. Drop the spuds into the grease and flip them constantly until they are all coated with grease.
13. Press down to ensure even heating and place a flat pot lid over the potatoes until they are ready to turn the first time.
14. Brown them to your desired preference.
15. Turn them once and, when they are browned on the other side, use your spatula to break them loose from the pan and slide onto a serving plate.
16. Enjoy.