Baked Hash Brown Inspired Potato Cake

I've been meaning to try this recipe I found from one of my favorite blogs, Two Tarts -  baked eggs with crispy hash brown  for a while now, but had few issues: 1. I did not have a cast iron pan; 2. My husband's vegan. But now that I have a cute cast iron pan, I only have to resolve one more thing - make this vegan.

What I really like about this recipe is the idea of pressing the shredded potatoes in the iron pan. Just thinking about it makes me imagine how crispy it can get when done right. Since I can't top it with eggs, I thought I should just add more shredded vegetables on top turning it to a sort of pancake - only, crunchy at the bottom.

Ingredients:
1 1/2 cup shredded/grated potatoes (I used food processor to grate the veggies)
1/2 zucchini, shredded/grated
1 small carrots, shredded/grated
some paprika powder
some garlic powder
salt and pepper to taste  

1. Extract as much water as you can from the potatoes, this is the key to get it crisp. I used a potato presser so it's easier to dehydrate. Do the same to the carrots and zucchini.

2.  Combine the shredded potatoes, zucchini and carrots. Sprinkle some paprika, garlic powder, salt and pepper according to your liking. Mix well.

3. Heat iron pan and oil it.

4. When warm enough, pour the mixture and spread it all over the pan. Press it flat on the pan with the use of the back of a spoon. Set the stove to medium heat so that it doesn't burn the bottom. Leave it and let it cook for about 5-10 minutes, or until it's crispy golden brown at the bottom. You can check this by lifting the sides.

5. Heat oven to about 175 C. Set it to broiler mode.

6. Place the cast iron pan inside the oven and let it cook for about 10-15 minutes, depending how cooked you want the top to be. It's nice when it's golden brown :).\