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Not so much a recipe as a technique.
Potatoes... I use about a pound of russets for 2 servings
Some kind of fat... I usually put a bit of bacon fat in to start, then add olive oil (some liquid fat) as I go
Seasoning... I use Lawry's Seasoned Salt & ground black pepper
Heat an appropriately-sized (I use 10" for 2 servings) non-stick skillet over medium heat (5 on a scale of 1-10 on my stove).
Scrub your potatoes (I don't peel them, but you can :-). Grate them into a large bowl.
Rinse off the starch (this technique came from my friend Tam): Fill bowl with water/swirl the potatoes with your hand/pour off water/repeat. This keeps your potatoes from turning that strange browny-pink color and removes a little of the stickiness. After the final rinse, use a colander or press potatoes into the inverted bowl with your hand... basically, drain all the water you can. If you have a non-fuzzy kitchen towel, scoop the potatoes onto it and press to remove more water and speed the cooking process.
Your skillet should be hot now. Put about a teaspoon of bacon fat in the skillet and swirl it around... Add potatoes and press them down with a spatula. I season as I go, so sprinkle on a little (whatever you're using). Put a lid on it and let it steam for a few minutes until the potatoes are turning a light golden on the bottom.
Stir up potatoes. Separate into quarters with spatula and drizzle a little oil between the quarters. Press flat with spatula. Drizzle a little oil around the perimeter. Shake pan gently to distribute oil. Sprinkle on a little more seasoning. Lid back on for a few minutes....
Use a non-stick friendly spatula to cut the potatoes into quarters. Flip each quarter. Gently separate the quarters and drizzle a little oil between them. Press flat with spatula. Drizzle a little oil around the perimeter. Shake pan gently to distribute oil. Sprinkle on a little more seasoning. LID OFF from here on out.
Repeat the last step (probably want to stop at three seasoning additions) as needed until the hash browns are crispy enough for you.
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