Hashed Brown Potatoes

A straightforward skillet dish, but the method is older than the diner-style version most cooks know: the potatoes are packed into a single cake, browned slowly, then folded over like an omelet.

• The hinge: do not stirOnce the potatoes go in, press them flat and leave them alone. The crust only forms if the cake sits undisturbed against the pan for the full twenty to thirty minutes; poking at it gives you scrambled potato instead of hashed brown.
• Quantities in modern termsA quart of chopped cooked potatoes is about 4 cups, which is something like 1 1/4 to 1 1/2 lb of potatoes before cooking. Enough for about four as a side dish, or two or three at breakfast.
• "Cream"Period recipes rarely specify a grade, and cream then was not standardised; what is meant here is most likely something in the range of today's light cream or half-and-half rather than heavy whipping cream. Either works; the quarter cup is there to bind the cake, not to enrich it.
• Omelet panA shallow pan with sloping sides, ideally cast iron or another heavy pan that holds even heat. Nonstick makes the fold easier but yields a paler crust.
• Cooked potatoesLeftover boiled or steamed potatoes, thoroughly cold, hold their shape and brown far better than freshly cooked ones. Waxy or all-purpose potatoes hash more cleanly than very starchy bakers.
• "Cook slowly"Medium-low heat. Three tablespoons of butter over a long slow cook will brown and can scorch toward the end; a tablespoon of neutral oil alongside the butter raises the smoke point without changing the flavor much.
• The foldLoosen the edge all round with a thin spatula, tip the pan, and fold one half over the other. If the cake feels fragile, slide it out flat and fold on the platter.