Crispy on the outside, soft on the inside, you’d never guess these hash browns are made without any oil!
Hash browns are a staple breakfast meal. They complete the plate for a savoury breakfast, being a nice filling carb to perfectly compliment our protein like tempeh bacon or tofu scramble. But, as a sports nutritionist and dedicated athlete I used to shy away from hash browns. Mostly because I felt they slowed me down and made me feel heavy and sluggish. That’s because your typical hash browns are swimming in oil! To resolve this, I set out to make a crunchy satisfying hash brown that I could enjoy pre exercise that would actually give me energy rather than weigh me down! The result are these crispy oil-free hash browns, yum!
Why Oil-Free?
For athletes, carbohydrates are our primary source of fast energy. They give us fuel and maximize our strength and energy quickly after consumption. Fats on the other hand, are the body’s slowest form of energy (source). Although they are extremely important to give our bodies a complete healthy diet, they do tend to slow us down if we over consume before exercise (source). Also, there are healthy fats and not so healthy fats – using an extra-virgin olive oil would definitely be a healthy alternative to the usual deep frying in vegetable/canola oil. However, I personally prefer to reduce or even eliminate oil as much as possible prior to exercise and get my healthy fats from unprocessed sources such as nuts, seeds, olives and avocado. These natural fats will give us both the nutrients and fibre we need for a complete diet, giving us energy rather than slowing us down, and reducing the high calorie spike associated with large amounts of added fats.
Tips for Crispiness
A hash brown would not be the same without the crispy outside and the soft middle. If it were only soft, you’d might as well make mashed potatoes! To make these oil-free hash browns nice and crispy- lightly toss them in a bowl with the spices after boiling. Little pieces of potato will start to flake off and clump up on the potatoes. When these little clumps bake, they crisp up nice giving a lovely crunch to our hash browns. Using a larger grain salt will also help give an extra crunch.
Crispy Oil- free Hash Brown Ingredients
- Potatoes
- Nutritional Yeast
- Garlic powder
- Salt
- Black pepper
Crispy Oil-Free Hash Browns Recipe
Oil-Free Hashbrowns
Ingredients
- 3-4 medium potatoes any variety
- 1 tbsp nutritional yeast
- 1/2 tsp garlic powder
- 1/4 tsp salt
- pinch black pepper
Instructions
- Bring a medium pot of water to a boil.
- Preheat oven to 425 ℉.
- Chop potatoes into bite sized cubes and add to boiling water. Cook 10 minutes.
- Strain potatoes and place on baking sheet. Sprinkle spices on top and mix to coat. Lay out potatoes in an even layer.
- Bake for 25 minutes, flipping halfway.
Nutrition Facts
The nutrition label below is for ~1 cup size serving of potatoes.
These nutrition facts may vary due to individual ingredients used.
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