With lots of sweet and a bit of savory flavor, these caramelized sweet potato apple hash browns will be your new favorite side dish for any meal. Using Japanese sweet potatoes plus sweet and tart apples, you get a delicious flavor combination that’s free of refined oils and sugars yet feels like the ultimate comfort food.
Like I said yesterday, it’s apples before pumpkins over here! Plus, I have to finish sharing my favorite stove-top recipes before I start baking everything in my new oven. This is a good one, and look guys – no meat! Not even a bacon bit! I would say it’s pretty rare that I have a recipe on here that’s not a cookie, muffin or fudge yet has not a drop of meat. Or a pound.
I’m talking up my apples but I literally just took a pumpkin recipe out of the oven 5 minutes ago. I’m hoping this one does not break my heart, but whatever happens, happens. I’m getting better at regulating my emotions when faced with a recipe that just wasn’t meant to be. Or one that is purposefully trying to make my life harder. Because cookies will do that to you, this I know.
But really, I guess I finally caught on to the thing about recipe heartbreak that’s much more awesome that actual heartbreak – you can literally just manipulate the recipe, make it again, and, voila, you’re back in love. Magical stuff right? Not like human relationships, where that sort of thing is way frowned upon and doesn’t work anyway. I guess that is my relationship/cooking tip of the week – manipulate your recipe, not your partner.
But getting back to the hash browns, because these you really need to make these and with my recipe, they’re foolproof! I used to burn my sweet potatoes on the stove before I figured out a way to cook them that gets them both soft on the inside and crispy on the outside – something it’s easy for the oven to do, but with the stove it requires a method.
My method involves both steaming and frying and since I started doing this, my hash recipes come out great every time. If you guys follow me on Instagram (and if you don’t, now’s your chance!) you know I’m just a leeetle into hash browns of all kinds for breakfast. It’s sorta been my thing since I started out with paleo. I can’t even remember what inspired me to start making them, since I never ever did prior to paleo, but, it happened and now here we are. With me giving you and your cookies relationship advice. We’re really living the dream now, I’m telling you 🙂
Caramelized Sweet Potato Apple Hash Browns {Paleo & Whole30}
Caramelized Sweet Potato Apple Hash Browns
Ingredients
- 1 very large sweet potato* or 2 medium ones, peeled and diced - about 2 cups diced
- 1 large pink lady or granny smith apple diced (peeling optional)
- 2 tbsp + 2 tsp ghee or coconut oil - separated
- 1/2 tsp fine grain sea salt
- 1/4-1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
- 1 tsp organic coconut sugar** - optional omit for Whole30
Instructions
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Heat a large, seasoned cast iron pan (or any heavy skillet that won't stick) over medium heat and add 2 tbsp of the ghee*
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Once the pan is heated, add the diced sweet potatoes and sprinkle evenly with the sea salt and stir/toss to coat the potatoes cooking fat and salt.
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Cover the pan, using any cover that is large enough, for about 2 minutes. Uncover and stir, lower the heat a bit if the potatoes are starting to brown too much. Recover and cook for another 2-4 minutes until the potatoes are soft.
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Uncover the pan and continue to cook, stirring, until the potatoes are light brown all over.
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Add the diced apples plus the 2 tsp ghee and stir to combine. If adding the coconut sugar*, do this now.
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Cook over medium heat, stirring occasionally, for another 5 minutes or until the apples and potatoes are brown. Adjust the heat of your stovetop as necessary to avoid burning.
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Once apples and potatoes are toasty, remove from heat and stir in the cinnamon. Let cool a bit and then serve warm. Enjoy!
Recipe Notes
*I used a Japanese sweet potato with purple skin and white flesh on the inside and their texture is more like a white potato, the flavor is mildly sweet. These are great, but you can use whatever sweet potato you like!
**Completely optional (it will be sweet without), omit to keep this recipe Whole30 compliant.
Are you as obsessed with caramelizing things as I am?
What are your favorite apples for cooking? For eating raw?
I’m all over this. I’ll probably add curry powder because that’s how I roll. I seem to caramelize everything whether I should or not 😀 I like it so no complaints. Happy Friday!
I love to caramelize everything, it’s fun and always tastes good, so why not 🙂 I wouldn’t think to add curry, might have to try!
Girl, I could actually eat this recipe 😉 2 of my favorite foods! Japanese sweets and apples! Glory!
I’d say you should start a relationship/cooking counseling service. You have some true wisdom to share 😉 Haha!
My least favorite apple is the granny smith, not good raw, but cooked is fine! To eat though, pink lady and fuji apples for life!!!! Pink lady rock too!….I love all apples 😉 But you know which one I feel bad for? Golden delicious! They are always forgotten!
Granny smith are great for cooking but I agree they’re too tart to eat raw. I always use them in apple crisp. And you’re right about golden delicious – I never know what to do with them and my kids want their apples to be red, orange, or pink 😉
I love cooking with gala apples, but granny smith are my favorite to just snack on with nut butter 🙂 Have so much fun breaking in your new oven ! Can’t wait for all the new recipes 🙂 Have a fabulous weekend!!
Haven’t tried cooking with gala, granny smith are a bit tart but great for pies and crisps and all that. Breaking in the oven is going well! Have a great weekend!
Yum! What a delicious combo!
Thanks, hope you try it!
I love this recipe! Root vegetables and apples are a match made in heaven! I pretty much love any type of apple I can get my hands on.
Even though I don’t eat bacon often, I think bacon would go great in this 😉
I think it would too – next time 🙂 Or I’ll just make this plus some bacon and eggs – maybe after my long run tomorrow!
I love pink lady apples, as well as NY heirloom varieties. I agree, apples before pumpkins – those are Octobers!
Pink lady’s are great all around. Can’t wait to go apple picking although I don’t think we can squeeze it in until the very end of the month!
Two of my favorites right there – sweet potatoes and pink lady apples. I think we need to go apple picking this weekend so I can make this asap!
I wanted to go today but something came up – I HAVE to go every year although I think it has to wait another two weeks sadly!
Amg now this just -screams- fall — loving it! I just recently picked up some pin ladies after not having them for a while, and I seriously forgot how much I love them. Those and golden delicious are probably my favourites!
The flavor and texture of the Pink Ladies is perfect for anything apple related 🙂 Golden delicious gets neglected over here since the kids want their apples red, or at least an orangey pink!
That recipe looks so good especially for a fall brunch! That reminds me too, I want to do some apple picking. Time to look up some orchards in the area.
Apple picking might be my favorite – such great memories and then of course, the baking afterwards 🙂
Spud love all the way. This looks fantastic and I’m kind of thrilled you skipped the meat so I can make it as is.
Sweet and perfect without the meat 🙂