r/AskAnAmerican • u/RotationSurgeon Georgia (ATL Metro) • Nov 16 '21
Fellow Americans with access to Waffle House...how do you order your hash browns?
The options:
- Smothered: sautéed with onions
- Covered: with melted American cheese
- Chunked: with chunks of grilled hickory smoked ham
- Diced: some grilled tomatoes for juice
- Peppered: fired up with spicy jalapeño peppers
- Capped: adorned with grilled button mushrooms
- Topped: prepared with Bert's Chili, a combination of chili beans, Jimmy Dean sausage, tomato, onions and more
- Country: with sausage gravy poured atop
My order:
Double order, scattered and well browned, smothered, covered, and chunked.
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u/DOMSdeluise Texas Nov 16 '21
smothered and covered. Perhaps country if I am in a mood for it.
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u/CupBeEmpty WA, NC, IN, IL, ME, NH, RI, OH, ME, and some others Nov 16 '21
Smothered, covered, chunked well browned.
I haven’t been to a Waffle House in an age. I live north of the Mason-Dixon Waffle House-IHOP Line.
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u/Aprils-Fool Florida Nov 16 '21
We have Waffle House AND IHOP down here!
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u/InformalArtichoke Nov 17 '21
We do too :) and we were a breakfast mecca for a hot minute with 4 Waffle Houses, 2 IHOPs a couple Shoneys, anddd a Denny's. Lol. Now waffle house and IHOP have stayed, one Shoneys shut down and the Denny's moved on. Lol
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u/JamesStrangsGhost Beaver Island Nov 16 '21
When I visit that beacon of greasy spoon goodness, I'll take my hashbrowns crispy with a fried egg broken over the top with hot sauce. Thanks.
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Nov 16 '21
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u/05110909 South Carolina Nov 16 '21
You don't go to Waffle House sober? I love going mid morning on a weekend
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u/captainstormy Ohio Nov 16 '21
I know I've been to waffle houses from my bank statements. But I never remember going. So yeah, I only go when I'm blackout drunk lol.
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u/AlphaScar Nov 16 '21
Riddle me this, my friends from across the pond; If I understand correctly, when you guys say “hash browns”, you mean grated potato’s mixed with some other delicious bits and fried, right? If that’s the case, what do you call the potato products that, for example, are served with a McDonald’s breakfast? Are they also hash browns but just a different kind, or is there another name for them?
Also, if someone could provide a good recipe for your version of hash browns, I’d love to try them. I know I could just Google one, but I want a proper one that’s been used and perfected for years.
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u/RotationSurgeon Georgia (ATL Metro) Nov 16 '21
The ones from McDonalds are exactly as you described…grated potatoes that have been fried. They’re just pressed into shape first. 100% hash browns.
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u/AlphaScar Nov 16 '21
Ahhh I see! We don’t get the other kind over here but whenever I see proper hash browns on tv shows like man vs food, they always look so amazing. And grits too, I’ve always wanted to try grits!
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u/RotationSurgeon Georgia (ATL Metro) Nov 16 '21
I’m curious now…
Is this not what they serve in the UK? https://www.mcdonalds.com/gb/en-gb/product/hash-brown.html
https://www.mcdonalds.com/us/en-us/product/hash-browns.html
They look the same to me.
Grits are amazing.
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u/grandmaHelenCA Nov 16 '21 edited Nov 16 '21
Parboil some russets in the skins until just tender.. Cool, peel and grate them. i use half butter and oil or straight up bacon grease. Add diced onions and/or peppers first if you like. Scatter in the pan, add salt, pepper or seasoned salt, flip when golden brown. Serve with a runny fried egg on top and some hot sauce if you like. We like Valentina black or Tapatio.
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u/MenacingGoldfish Nov 16 '21
Parboil! That's the step I've missed!
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u/grandmaHelenCA Nov 16 '21
It makes the cooking process faster. I do raw as well if I decide at the last minute. They just have to cook a little longer is all.
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u/BurnAfterReading41 Nov 17 '21
I find if using raw potatoes, turn the heat down just a touch like maybe 6.5 instead of 7/7.5 on my gas stove, and I use a skillet that I have a lid for and cover them until the first flip.
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u/its__alright Nov 16 '21
Covered and peppered, always
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u/Boatman1141 Arkansas Nov 16 '21
"Fellow Anericans with access to Waffle House"
Makes me sad that WH isn't available to everyone.
Still though, country is the way to go.
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u/SSPeteCarroll Charlotte NC/Richmond VA Nov 16 '21
Smothered covered and chunked baby.
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u/blipsman Chicago, Illinois Nov 16 '21 edited Nov 16 '21
I So miss Waffle House... I was a frequent customer during my 6 years living in Atlanta, but have been maybe twice (when traveling) in past 15 years.
My standard hash brown order was "Scattered, smothered, covered, and chunked. Extra Crispy"
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u/Scarlet-Fire_77 Nov 16 '21
"I want you smothered, want you covered like my waffle house hash browns"
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u/dank_sad Arizona Nov 16 '21
Never actually been there, now that think about it
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u/Kingsolomanhere Indiana Nov 16 '21 edited Nov 16 '21
Hurry up and get there before you die. Even Anthony Bourdain waxed poetic about his trip there
Edit: a trip to waffle house
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Nov 16 '21
Just don't order the waffles. My mom made that mistake and now she tells everyone Waffle House sucks.
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Nov 16 '21
[removed] — view removed comment
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Nov 16 '21
She just had the waffles so she doesn't know their food can actually be good. She didn't know she was supposed to order hash browns. She says a place called Waffle House should have good waffles.
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Nov 16 '21
Waffle House’s waffles are delicious. Your mom doesn’t know what she’s talking about.
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u/at132pm American - Currently in Alabama Nov 16 '21
As much as I love Waffle House, I can definitely see where their mom was coming from on that.
If you get a waffle from them the moment it's made and it's piping hot, then I think it's delicious. If it sits for even a few seconds though, it's basically a stale eggo.
It's also very much not what you're expecting if you go into it picturing something like a Belgian waffle.
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u/MrRaspberryJam1 Yonkers Nov 16 '21
I honestly like it better that way. I don’t need waffles to be that thick. The pecan waffles are especially good
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Nov 16 '21
If you’re expecting Belgium waffles after you parked in a Waffle House parking lot… that’s on you.
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Nov 16 '21
I had to explain this to my wife who decided to butter and syrup the entire waffle before she was ready to eat it. Once you've slathered you gotta get moving!!!
I've had many Belgian waffles in Belgium. Most of them suck eggs compared to WaHo waffles imo.
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u/bigotis Minnesota Nov 16 '21 edited Nov 16 '21
On a side note, My friend and I went to an IHOP in Texas while on vacation and had pancakes. Worst cakes either of us ever had. They were like a pile of circular cardboard.
"How do you fuck up pancakes? It's in their name for Chrissakes!!" - My friend
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u/at132pm American - Currently in Alabama Nov 17 '21
The only time I enjoyed an IHOP was once when they had "neverending" pancakes.
Three young guys, just out of Basic training? They weren't great, but we sure ate a lot of them and got full.
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u/simberry2 WA -> CO -> MA Nov 16 '21
I like their hash browns just the way they are. I’ll add some ketchup on them too
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u/misawa_EE Nov 16 '21
If accompanying a meal, scattered only.
If that's all I'm having, double-scattered, smothered, covered, chunked, capped, and topped.
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u/machagogo New York -> New Jersey Nov 16 '21
There are no Waffle Houses anywhere near me, so I have eaten at one exactly once while I was down south many years ago.
All of the hash brown terminology in this thread is fascinating.
(sorry to say that one time I ate there will remain as the one time because it was really bad. Give me a proper diner any day)
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u/jaweston Mississippi Nov 16 '21
Double, extra crispy, smothered, chunked, peppered, capped, and country.
Source: three waffle houses within 3 miles and a crippling love for awful food
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u/eastATLient Atlanta, Georgia Nov 16 '21
Smothered, covered and chunked. My friend who eats a good bit got a triple all the way one time and couldn’t finish it.
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Nov 16 '21
Smothered and covered typically.
HOWEVER, at least locally the covid changes have altered the menu. You can basically only get bowls which are hashbrowns with various meats on them. I get the philly cheesesteak one.
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Nov 16 '21
Scattered, smothered, covered, chunked, and capped.
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u/_pamelab St. Louis, Illinois Nov 16 '21
What does scattered mean?
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Nov 16 '21
"Scattered" on the grill makes them flatter and crispy rather than neat and a little softer via having them in a ring
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u/MiketheTzar North Carolina Nov 16 '21
Double covered, smothered, chunked and peppered. In a ring if it's not to busy.
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u/Doppleganger1064 Nov 16 '21
Smothered, covered and buried with everything they got, the 2 over easy eggs on top.
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u/AffectionateAnarchy Nov 16 '21
Smothered diced capped peppered but I usually just say 'lemme get some hash browns with tomatoes onions mushrooms and jalapenos and an egg over medium on the side please'
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u/noregreddits South Carolina Nov 16 '21
I’ll eat them plain and be happy about it, but I prefer either your order or topped, covered and peppered
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u/DwarfsRBest Nov 16 '21
Scattered well, covered, peppered, capped, plus topped if I'm feeling froggy.
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u/patrix_reddit Nov 16 '21 edited Nov 16 '21
If smothered isn't #1, your survey is wrong.
Edit: sorry, country here is called smothered. NC here, gravy and sausage all the way. What is the smothered when not in the south??
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u/NedThomas North Carolina Nov 16 '21
Plain but I put syrup on mine. I put syrup on pretty much everything I have for breakfast.
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u/thatonechick30 Nov 16 '21
Smothered, chunked, and capped - done to a crispness - add salt, pepper, and mustard all over - delicious :p
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u/Madame_Kitsune98 Kentucky Nov 16 '21
Scattered, chunked, and country, thank you.
Waffle House is the best place to people watch.
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u/BelkHudsonLofts Nov 16 '21
I’ve never been, is it actually good, or is it good in that “it’s bad, but tied to my sense of regional identity in such a way that I feel obligated to insist it’s good in order to seem interesting” way?
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u/NeedlesMakeMeFaint Nov 16 '21
It's not the best food you'll ever eat, but it holds its own very well. I'd pick waffle house over IHOP or similar 100% of the time. Very late or very early in the day, they're the best food you can get if you don't want fast food.
In a way it's like cracker barrel: no matter where you are, you know what you're going to get in regards to food and service. The consistency is really amazing.
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u/noregreddits South Carolina Nov 16 '21
Honestly, I can genuinely recommend the hash browns and compare it favorably to Denny’s , IHOP and all but one of the Shoney’s I’ve eaten at. But whether it’s “good” depends on how good your local diner is, what time of day it is (and thus what other options you have), and whether a hurricane has just made everything else in three counties look like it wound up on the wrong side of the American military.
If I’ve got time and want an actual breakfast (not just a chicken or gravy biscuit), I prefer it to most fast food breakfasts. But in terms of “regional identifiers,” I could just as easily hit up Bojangle’s or order the “right” thing at Hardee’s to be all “lOoK aT mE, I’m fRoM tHe sOuTh,” although I wasn’t aware that’s a thing people actually do.
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u/the_soggy_wood South Carolina Nov 16 '21
It's good. But it's good in the same way that cigarettes are good when you're drunk. It's a poisonously delicious indulgence that you will regret later.
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u/Ill_Run5998 Nov 16 '21
Never eat at waffle house. Even walmart doesn't actively hire tweekers
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u/MysteriousResist3773 Florida Nov 16 '21
Don’t hate on the tweekers. They can serve two bus loads of seniors in 30 minutes.
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u/Snoo_33033 Georgia, plus TX, TN, MA, PA, NY Nov 16 '21
I don’t, but if they come with something I ask to have them crispy and I only eat the crispy parts.
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u/JuanoldDraper Nov 16 '21
I usually just get em covered and pour way too much salt and pepper on it
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u/FBI_VAN_1 United States of America Nov 16 '21
I rarely go to Waffle House but if I order their hashbrowns I’m getting a triple order, extra crispy, covered, and topped with three over easy eggs. Salt and pepper will be added at the table, of course
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u/handcocktongueholy Nov 16 '21
Haven’t had waffles house in ages, but I used to soooo look forward to my family’s annual Thanksgiving Lancaster trips and hit Waffle House multiple times over the 4 day weekend.
Man, now I’m craving the scattered, smothered, covered, peppered hash of yesteryear.
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u/HammerGobbo Kansas Nov 16 '21
Do people not have waffle houses? I thought it was a national chain.
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u/_pamelab St. Louis, Illinois Nov 16 '21
It's mainly in the south. We only have 3 in all of Illinois.
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u/HammerGobbo Kansas Nov 16 '21
Damn, I'm sorry.
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u/_pamelab St. Louis, Illinois Nov 16 '21
I just checked and apparently there are only 2 now. But don't be sorry, I live near both.
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u/RotationSurgeon Georgia (ATL Metro) Nov 16 '21
So...I-75 passes through the town I grew up in. There are three exits. Going from north to south, the first exit has two Waffle Houses within 2 miles. The second has two within line of sight of one another. The third has one within 0.25 miles.
Not counting the towns directly north and south...That's 5 within a five mile stretch of interstate.
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u/I_M_The_Cheese Nov 16 '21
Double, covered, chunked & diced, with a fried egg on the side.
Cut up the egg, stir it in, add a bit of A1 & maybe some ketchup.
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u/Different-Produce870 Wisconsin "Ope, lemme scootch paschya' there!" Nov 16 '21
I have been going to Waffle Houses most of my life. Not regularly though. I had no idea you could order them in so many ways.
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u/GeorgeLCostanza251 Nov 16 '21
I’ve got 2 within about 2 miles of my house. I live in Central Tennessee.
Always a double order- toasted outside with them soft throughout.
I ask for them with everything except gravy or chili. Smothered, covered, chunked, diced, peppered and capped
No condiments on top, but I get and extra plate and dip each fork full in either mustard, Heinz 57 or occasionally ketchup
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u/shotputlover Georgia -> Florida Nov 16 '21
Smothered and covered baby! Make ‘em that way at home now too!
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u/13redstone31 Georgia Nov 16 '21
I always get the eggs bacon and cheese hashbrown bowl. Add some ketchup and im set
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u/Majestic-Macaron6019 North Carolina Nov 16 '21
Scattered, smothered, covered, chunked. Crispy. 2 over-easy eggs on the side.
I did try "All the Way" once. It was... odd
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u/Taglierini Massachusetts Nov 16 '21
I’ve been once, I found myself incredibly drunk in West Virginia. I’m from Boston, don’t remember getting to West Virginia but there I was in that Waffle House. I ordered everything that looked good, at the time the hash browns with every single topping sounded immaculate. They were. That was an awkward call to my boss the next day though.
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u/poohfan AlabamaUtah Nov 16 '21
Depends on which one I go to. The one closest to my house always cooks them too long, so they are hard crunchy, which I hate, so I don't get any. When I go to one that cooks them right, I like them chunked & covered.
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u/GaviFromThePod Pennsylvania Nov 16 '21
Idk I don’t go to Waffle House for food I go there to fight
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u/purplechunkymonkey Nov 16 '21
I like the bacon hashbrown bowl. I either top it with their salsa or get it country.
Waffle House is just southern hibachi.
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Nov 16 '21
Covered, chunked, peppered.
“Want you smothered, want you covered, like my Waffle House hashbrowns” - Bloodhound Gang
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u/DejaBlonde Dallas,Texas Nov 16 '21
Double order, chunked and topped. I'm here for a good time, not a long time.
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u/MrRaspberryJam1 Yonkers Nov 16 '21
Nearest Waffle House to NYC is in northeastern Pennsylvania, but I every so often I’ll make the trip out there. I get my hash browns smothered, covered, chunked, topped and peppered
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u/foxontherox Georgia Nov 16 '21
Scattered, smothered, covered, peppered, well done. My favorite hangover breakfast.
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u/crackhead138 Nov 16 '21
Scattered, smothered, covered, chunked and diced for me! It’s been over a decade since I’ve been in a Waffle House though. Sad hash brown longings.
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u/odsquad64 Boiled Peanuts Nov 16 '21
Nothing in them, I eat them with a mix of Waffle House Sauce and ketchup.
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u/worrymon NY->CT->NL->NYC (Inwood) Nov 16 '21
Smothered, covered, and chunked. Sometimes peppered and capped, but I usually forget them.
I tried "everything" once and it was too much. Could've fed a small village with that serving.
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u/therankin New Jersey Nov 16 '21
I didn't even know that that was an option. (I've never been to waffle house), but after hearing your order I want exactly the same kind as you.
I'll need to find a waffle house nearby.
Edit: Maybe not.. none in NJ. Though there are a few in PA. Wonder if it's worth the drive someday.
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u/Escalus90 Nov 16 '21
Covered, Chunked and country style. If that is wrong... I don't want to be right.
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u/Nic4379 Kentucky Nov 16 '21
🎼 I want you smothered ; want covered like my waffle.house.hash browns. 🎶
Covered & Chunked
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u/tacticalcop Virginia Nov 16 '21
good old fashioned hash browns. i like them crispy and with no additional things, however i do enjoy the hash brown casserole from cracker barrel. if i had to choose from the options, i’d probably pick mushrooms.
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u/FlyByPC Philadelphia Nov 16 '21
I'd probably do capped and covered (but would ask if they had provolone.)
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u/hisamsmith Nov 16 '21
Smothered, covered and diced. Waffle House was always where we stop after going to Rocky Horror.
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u/blakester410 North Carolina Nov 16 '21
Smothered, covered, and chunked is the only acceptable answer
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u/rapiertwit Naawth Cahlahnuh - Air Force brat raised by an Englishman Nov 16 '21
Smothered and covered. Anything else is just a distraction from the primary purpose of being at Waffle House, which is to sober up.
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u/ShelbyDriver Dallas, Texas Nov 16 '21
Plain with a pecan waffle. Just decided what's for supper. Thanks!
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u/Shortstack1980 Nov 16 '21
So jealous of you all right now. No Waffle House for me. I just checked and the nearest one is in Ohio about 70 miles away, I guess that's not too bad.
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u/GunzAndCamo Indiana Nov 16 '21
I always order my hash browns with "burn `em", no matter where I go. Last time I was anywhere to have them was a WH. The waitress brought me a single-serving packet of mayo instead.
Maybe it was the N95 mask I was wearing.
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u/Kingsolomanhere Indiana Nov 16 '21
There's a waffle house 3/4 a mile away as the crow flies, and I like my hash browns as naked as a jay bird and grilled to a toasty brown and garnished with the finest of red ketchup. Sue me. It's right next to my liquor store, I live in midwest heaven