Purple Sweet Potato Hash Browns

I'm not judgmental; I don't judge a book by it's cover, or a person by their shoes (but seriously people stop wearing flip flops in November!).  I'm all about good first impressions, however I realize that everything is not as it appears and it's not wise to make a decision based on your gut instinct.  Never discriminate and love everyone for who they are and not what they look like.

That all said, I have a confession.  When it comes to veggies, I can be a bit judgmental.  I try not to! It's not the tiny dino kale's fault that the huge red russian kale sitting next to it in the grocery store grew in more nutritious soil.  Guys, I can preach size doesn't matter until I'm blue in the face but when it comes to my veggies, you better believe I'm going for the biggest, baddest ones I can find. Speaking of color, I'm a sucker for anything bright and interesting.  Such as deep red beets, rich evergreen collards, or golden cauliflower, the more unusual the color the better the chances I'm going to grab it.  And when it comes to anything purple, forget it!  Purple has always been my favorite color (I'm such a girl I know :P ) and when I see purple sweet potatoes, I get way too excited.  Sorry orange sweets, on principal that purple > orange and I will go for the purple sweets every time.

These purple sweet potato hash browns are extra crispy and basically the perfect side kick for your morning eggs along with just about any other food you could possibly think of.  They are sweet, hearty, wonderfully starchy, and will make it hard to stop yourself from eating the entire pan! The key to getting these hash browns extra crispy is using a cast iron skilled to to cook them, along with grating the potato and giving them plenty of time to cook.  You basically need to cook them until you think they are done and then keep cooking.  On a final note these has browns are naturally sweet and I found that pairing them with a smoky bacon (tempeh bacon works for my vegetarian friends) or another bold breakfast meat really makes the flavor of this purple hash pop!  Add an egg or two and you're looking at a solid meal :)

Purple Sweet Potato Hash Browns

3 cups grated purple sweet potato*

1/2 yellow onion, diced

1/2 tsp garlic powder

sea salt, to taste

black pepper, to taste

2 Tbsp coconut oil or pasture raised butter 

*If you're using organic sweet potatoes, leave the skin on!  It is the most nutritious part of the sweet potato!!

Directions:

1.  Preheat the oven to 350 F.  Add the grated sweet potato, onion, garlic, sea salt, and pepper to a bowl and toss to combine.

2.  Heat a cast iron skillet on medium-high heat.  Add a tablespoon of oil.  When the pan is very hot, sprinkle the potato mixture over the entire surface of the pan, then gently press down with a spatula. Do not push the potatoes around; you want them to stay exactly where they hit the pan to get that nice crispy crust!!

3.  After 3-4 minutes, cut an the sweet potatoes into quarters and flip each one over individually, adding an additional teaspoon of oil to the pan under each quarter before returning to the pan.  Let cook another minute or so.

4.  Put the pan in the oven and bake for 15-20 minutes, or until the potatoes are dry and crispy.  Serve hot.