Gordon Ramsay’s hash browns are grated waxy potatoes pressed into a hot pan until crispy, then flipped, topped with eggs and baked in the oven. The recipe comes from Ultimate Home Cooking and serves six as a big family-style brunch.
In the video, he calls it “an all-American superhero of a breakfast” and says “the best breakfasts in the world are always in America.” The candied bacon on top is his twist, because he grew up to love “that combination of smoky sweet flavours.”
The technique that makes or breaks it is squeezing the liquid out of the grated potato twice. Skip this and the potato steams in its own water instead of crisping.
Gordon Ramsay’s Hash Brown Baked Eggs with Candied Bacon
Course: BreakfastCuisine: AmericanDifficulty: Easy6
15
minutes20
minutes450
kcal35
minutesAn American-style brunch from Ultimate Home Cooking that Ramsay calls his tribute to a Stateside breakfast. The hash brown is cooked family-style in one big pan, flipped with a plate, then eggs are cracked on top and the whole thing goes into the oven. Candied bacon finishes it.
Ingredients
850g-1kg waxy potatoes, peeled and grated
1 onion, peeled and grated
Olive oil
Pinch of cayenne pepper
4 knobs of butter
6 free-range eggs
Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
- For the candied bacon:
1 tsp soft brown sugar
Knob of butter
8 rashers of smoked streaky bacon
Directions
- Squeeze the potato: Grate the potatoes and onion into a colander and press hard to squeeze out all the moisture. Season with salt, pepper, olive oil and cayenne. Mix well, then squeeze again with your hands.
- Fry the base: Heat oil in a large ovenproof frying pan. Add the potato mixture and press down to compact it. Dot butter around the edges and cook until the bottom is golden and crisp.
- Flip: Place a plate over the pan, invert both together, then slide the hash brown back into the pan uncooked-side down. Dot more butter around the edges and cook for 5 more minutes.
- Bake the eggs: Preheat the oven to 200C (400F). Crack the eggs on top of the hash brown, sprinkle with cayenne and bake for 6-8 minutes until the whites are set but the yolks are still runny.
- Candied bacon: Heat sugar, pepper and butter in a separate pan until caramelising. Add the bacon and cook 3-4 minutes each side until golden and sticky.
- Serve: Slide the hash brown onto a plate and top with the candied bacon.
FAQs
Why does Ramsay use waxy potatoes for hash browns?
Waxy potatoes hold their shape when grated and fried, so each shred stays distinct and crispy. Floury potatoes like Maris Piper break down and turn to mush, which is good for mash but terrible for hash browns.
In the video, Ramsay says waxy potatoes “cook better, but more importantly, hold themselves together.” Charlotte or Desiree are the best UK supermarket options. His fondant potatoes use floury Maris Piper for the opposite reason: you want them to absorb stock and soften.
Why squeeze the potato twice?
The first squeeze removes the obvious water. The second, after seasoning with salt, draws out even more moisture that the salt has pulled from the cells. Ramsay says “the more liquid you remove, the crispier your hash browns will be.”
If you skip this, the potato steams in its own liquid instead of frying. You end up with a soft, pale disc rather than a golden crispy base. The grated onion releases liquid too, so both need pressing together through a colander or clean tea towel.
How do you flip the hash brown without it breaking?
Place a large plate flat over the pan, grip the handle, and flip both together in one confident motion. Then slide the hash brown off the plate back into the hot pan so the uncooked side hits the oil.
Ramsay makes it look effortless in the video, but the key is having a plate wider than the pan so nothing falls off the edge. Work quickly because the hash brown needs to hit the hot pan fast or it loses its crust. His scrambled eggs are the perfect side if you want a softer egg alongside the baked ones.
What makes the bacon candied?
Brown sugar and butter go into the pan first and start caramelising before the bacon goes in. The bacon cooks in this sticky glaze, picking up a smoky-sweet crust on both sides as the sugar bubbles around it.
The sugar should bubble and darken slightly before the rashers hit the pan, then 3-4 minutes each side gives you crispy, sticky, golden bacon. His eggs benedict uses crispy Parma ham instead for a salty, dry contrast rather than this sweet, sticky one.
Can you make individual hash browns instead?
Ramsay says “you could make these in a muffin tin to create individual servings, but I like to serve it family-style in one big pan.” For muffin tin portions, press the potato mixture into greased holes, bake at 200C for 15-20 minutes until crispy, then crack an egg into each.
The family-style version is more impressive because the flip gives you one giant crispy disc. For a lighter breakfast, his boiled eggs with soldiers is the quick weekday option when you don’t have time for the full pan.
