The other day, I visited the new South End Grocery (the former McDonald’s on North Pearl Street and Madison Avenue). It’s a small little shopping center, but it has lots of tasty items and staples, including fresh vegetables and meats.
It also has something I’ve been meaning to try for a while.
Hash Browns in a carton.
Similar to these.
No, they’re not selling the Waffle House brand, although if I did try to make these, I would also need training in Muay Thai self-defense and ass-kicking. Trust me, I’ve seen those World Star Hip Hop Waffle House fight videos.
The Hash Browns sold at the South End Grocery are essentially food service generic dehydrated hashies, which I purchased at a reasonable price. And it’s a simple recipe from carton to plate, especially in servings of one.
Scoop out 3/4 cup of dehydrated hash brown potatoes and pour it in a bowl. Add 3/4 cup of cold water. Let sit for 30 minutes. Place the rehydrated potatoes between the folds of a tea towel and squeeze out any remaining excess moisture.
Pour some olive oil in a hot pan. Add a layer of hash brown potatoes to the pan. 3 minutes on one side, flip, 2 minutes on the other. Nice and crispy. Just like at the diner.
And you can add whatever you want to them – smother them, cover them, whatever.
And now there are people reading this blog post and screaming, “For crying out loud, Chuck, can’t you just get some russet potatoes and grate them yourself, wouldn’t that be a healthier option, you nihilistic heathen you?”
To which I say, “And what’s wrong with this option? It’s good enough for your local diner, you don’t see the chefs grating potatoes in the back for your breakfast, do you? Convenience is a nice thing. Go with it.”
And I have to say, these hash browns have a nice crispy taste to them. And I can portion out as much or as little as I want, and make the product last for a while.
I’m also going to check out more items from the South End Grocery – in addition to several food staples, they also have a sandwich deli in-house. Might be worth picking up a turkey sub when I want one.
Besides, if I’ve got dried hash brown potatoes, there’s probably a recipe out there that allows me to mix them in with other ingredients – similar to that green bean casserole that goes well at Christmastime. Hmm. A green bean hash brown casserole.
Now that might be worth a try. 😀
Chuck The Writer 
I have to go there, after the first rush of people.
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Why not?! (I’m still searching for that brown bread in a can.)
Some items are slow to arrive out here in God’s Country, but I did come across something new that might interest you: Hormel Sausage Hash.
Very tasty, and contains considerably less grease than its brethren.
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It’s great that this store is open, but it’s really not a solution to the problem faced by many low income urban neighborhoods: the absence of a convenient supermarket.
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