okay so… my grandma used to make this hamburger hash thing every single time we visited her apartment in the city. like, every time. didn’t matter if it was tuesday or thanksgiving, if we showed up she’d pull out that old cast iron skillet and start frying up ground beef and potatoes.
i didn’t appreciate it then because i was a dumb kid who wanted chicken nuggets. but now? now i get it. it’s the kind of food that just works when you’re tired and broke and need something that’ll actually fill you up.
tried making it myself a few years ago and completely screwed it up the first time. used way too many potatoes and not enough seasoning and the whole thing tasted like cardboard. learned from that though.
here’s how to actually make it right.
Contents
why this works
the potatoes get crispy on the outside but stay soft inside if you don’t mess with them too much while they’re cooking
ground beef is cheap and cooks fast and you probably already have some in your freezer
it’s basically a complete meal in one pan so you don’t have to wash a bunch of dishes later
you can throw in whatever vegetables are dying in your fridge and call it intentional
leftovers taste even better the next day which almost never happens with anything else
Ingredients
| Ingredient | Amount | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Ground beef | 1 pound, maybe a little more | 80/20 works best, leaner stuff gets dry |
| Potatoes | 3-4 medium ones | russets or yukon golds, whatever’s on sale |
| Onion | 1 large | yellow or white, doesn’t really matter |
| Garlic | 3-4 cloves | or that jarred minced stuff if you’re lazy like me |
| Salt | a lot | seriously, potatoes need more salt than you think |
| Pepper | to taste | |
| Paprika | maybe a teaspoon? | gives it color |
| Worcestershire sauce | couple splashes | optional but makes it taste less boring |
| Butter or oil | 2-3 tablespoons | for the potatoes |
| Optional stuff | whatever | cheese, hot sauce, eggs on top |
How to make it
Start with the potatoes. Dice them into like half-inch cubes. smaller than that and they’ll turn to mush, bigger and they won’t cook through. don’t peel them unless you really want to, i never do.
Get a big skillet going over medium-high heat. cast iron’s ideal but whatever pan you have is fine.
Add your butter or oil and let it get hot.
Throw in the potatoes and don’t touch them for like five minutes. this is hard because you’ll want to stir them but don’t. let them get golden and crispy on one side first. then flip them around and let the other sides get crispy too. this takes maybe 15-20 minutes total. sprinkle salt over them while they’re cooking.
ugh i always mess this part up by stirring too much and then they never get crispy.
Move the potatoes to a plate when they’re done. they don’t have to be completely cooked through, just mostly there.
Add the ground beef to the same pan. break it up with a spoon or whatever. let it brown. don’t drain it unless there’s like an insane amount of grease, you want some fat in there for flavor.
Toss in your diced onion when the beef’s mostly browned. cook til the onions get soft and a little golden. maybe 5 minutes or so.
Add the garlic and cook for a minute til you can smell it. if you add it too early it burns and tastes bitter. learned that one the hard way.
Put the potatoes back in. mix everything together. add your paprika, worcestershire, more salt and pepper. taste it and adjust. this is the time to fix it if it’s bland.
Let everything hang out together for another few minutes so the flavors can get to know each other or whatever.
Serve it hot. some people put a fried egg on top which is honestly pretty good. or cheese. or hot sauce. or all three if you’re feeling chaotic.
tips & variations
- Add diced bell peppers with the onions if you want more vegetables. my mom always did this.
- Throw in some frozen corn at the end. sounds weird but it works.
- Use leftover baked potatoes instead of raw ones. cuts the cooking time way down.
- Make it breakfast hash by adding eggs and skipping the worcestershire.
storage situation
keeps in the fridge for maybe 4 days in a container. reheats fine in the microwave or back in a skillet.
i always forget to label my leftovers and then three days later i’m staring at a mystery container trying to remember if it’s hamburger hash or that ground turkey thing i made last week. they look exactly the same. label your stuff, seriously.
freezes okay for a couple months but the potatoes get a little weird when you thaw them. still edible, just not as good as fresh.
nutrition facts
| Per Serving | Amount |
|---|---|
| Calories | around 380-420 |
| Protein | maybe 22g |
| Carbs | probably 30g |
| Fat | somewhere around 18g |
listen these are rough estimates because i’m not weighing everything perfectly. if you need exact numbers use a calculator thing online.
Questions people ask
Q: can i use ground turkey instead?
yeah but it’ll be drier. add extra butter or oil and maybe some chicken broth to keep it from tasting like cardboard. ground turkey’s just not as forgiving as beef.
Q: do i have to use russet potatoes?
nah. yukon golds work great, red potatoes are fine, whatever you have is probably okay. just don’t use those tiny fingerling ones, they’re annoying to cut and expensive.
Q: how do i know when the potatoes are done?
stick a fork in one. if it goes through easy but the potato’s not falling apart, you’re good. they should be tender but still holding their shape.
Q: can i make this in advance?
sort of. you can cook everything and then reheat it but honestly it’s not as good. the potatoes lose their crispy texture. better to just make it fresh, it only takes like 30 minutes anyway.
