Sir Rodney Smithers wrote:
The problem most people have with making fresh hash browns is removing the
excess starch from the potatoes. You have to wash and rinse the potatoes
until the water runs clear. In a restaurant I worked at in college, we
would soak the potatoes for 15 min., rinse and repeat a minimum of 3 times,
sometimes it would take more. If you don't they will not crisp up and will
actually be very sticky.

This is the reason the majority of recipes use frozen or fresh prepared hash
browns as their ingredient. When I was eating potatoes, I found a great
fresh hash brown in the egg section of the supermarket.

I've been making hash browns, as my parents did, and I suspect their
parents did, for many, many years. I've never done anything more than
rinse them once. They "crisp up" just fine, and aren't sticky. For some
reason, people rinse the hell out of them, then add a tablespoon or so
of flour to make them form into a patty. Makes no sense. rinse a starch
out, put a starch in.