Frozen shredded hash browns are one of those great shortcut ingredients I never acknowledged until I began writing this column. Little more than shredded potatoes and a bit of extra starch to prevent clumping, they can be a quick-cooking substitute for potatoes. I’ve used them in clam chowder, and they’re great in any similar soup or stew. Another excellent use? Speedy roast potatoes paired with a quick-cooking protein.
While much faster to cook than roasted potatoes, frozen hash browns do need a bit of a jump-start. To get them thawed and cooking quickly, I spread them in a thin layer on a sheet pan and use a second pan as a lid. I put the potatoes in a cold oven and let them warm while the oven heats to 500 degrees. Once it’s hot, the potatoes should be mostly thawed and only need about 10 minutes to turn hot and steamy. From there, I nestle salmon fillets among the potatoes and return the pan to the oven to finish cooking.
This recipe calls for skin-on salmon fillets coated with a mixture of lemon zest and herbes de Provence, but you could follow the same procedure with chicken thighs or boneless pork chops, and with any seasoning you’d like.
I finish the dish with a squeeze of lemon juice and a chopped fresh herb — tarragon works well with the herbes de Provence but parsley would be equally nice.
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