Hashbrowns

At the risk of sounding like Sienfeld...
What's the deal with undercooked hashbrowns???

I dunno why this has always bothered me. Probably because, as an adult, I eat out a LOT and have (almost) NEVER gotten them cooked appropriately at a restaurant.

As a baseline, my version of Perfectly Cooked Hashbrowns would be a hot mess, slightly browned on the outside with the texture of a baked potato on the inside. By this, I mean that at a bare minimum they should be warm through and through (not still frozen or cold in the middle) with no burnt pieces on the outside.

Just this morning I ordered some "extra crispy" (sometimes that makes them come out a little better). I was happy for about 2 seconds when I initially saw them on my plate, nice and brown. Mmmmm! I thought that the brown was the peeling still on them, which would make them somewhat nutritious. But, no... it was just a well-mixed, greasy ball of 1/2 burnt, 1/2 raw potatoes. Sigh. It was, once again, a disgusting waste of my money.

I realize that most restaurants buy their 'browns frozen, in bulk, and so do we (the People). But when I cook them at home, or my friends cook them, or my Mom, or my grandma (used to) cook them, they're never cold in the middle and burnt on the outside (though, sometimes they're just burnt.) I also realize that restaurants also want to get food out quicker than maybe Mom ever cared to, but REALLY... how hard is it to cook HASHBROWNS?? I am certainly not a master chef but how about trying medium heat & proper cooking time? Just cook them same damn way you'd cook a steak to be either Rare, Medium, or Well Done. And at least let the things melt before you brown them up!

Maybe it was just childhood bliss but I seem to remember that when I ordered them as a child they were always near-perfect, and never raw in the middle. But now... maybe I am just more picky, or maybe because I'm paying for them myself I at least want them to be edible? Is that TOO MUCH TO ASK???!!!