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Rösti

Rösti is a traditional Swiss potato dish...considered by many to be a national dish. When we were in Switzerland visiting our friends (Pierre and Ute) many years ago, we were invited to Pierre's mother's home for supper. I will always remember her warm hospitality...how she bustled around in her cozy kitchen and served us a delicious dinner which included rösti. It wasn't too long after our visit that Pierre's mother passed away and so any mention of rösti brings back fond memories of that dear old lady. After a little research and a few trials, I'm ready to pass along my method for cooking 'glorified hashbrowns'...or rösti.

To make Rösti you will need:
  • 3 or 4 medium potatoes (Russets or Yukon Gold work well)
  • 1 medium onion, chopped
  • Butter
  • Salt, to taste
  • A grater
  • A non-stick or cast iron frying pan
  • A plate that barely fits inside the pan.
  1. Grate the raw potatoes into a bowl, with a large-holed grater.
  2. Use a non-stick skillet. Melt 2-4 tablespoons of butter in the pan. Saute onions until somewhat tender.
  3. Add grated potatoes and salt. Cook over medium heat several minutes, stirring two or three times to coat the potatoes evenly with butter.
  4. Then pat the potatoes into a cake with the spatula and let cook for 10 minutes. Cover and cook for another 5-10 minutes.
  5. When the bottom of the potato cake is golden brown, place the plate on the potatoes and invert the pan, holding onto the plate. Remove the pan and set it back on the stove. Add another tablespoon or so of butter and let it melt.
  6. Slide the rösti back into the pan, golden side up, and cook for about 15 minutes, pressing down once or twice to make the pancake stick together a little more. You can cover the pan to ensure the potatoes are cooked in the middle, but remove the cover at least 5 minutes before the end, so that your pancake is crispy on the outside.
  7. Slide rösti onto plate and serve by cutting into wedges. 
  8. Season with salt and pepper to taste. 







Serve as a side dish with ham and salad...and call it dinner. Or, make it the main course and top with a sunny-side-up egg. Any way you serve it, you can't go wrong!

A cast iron pan seemed like the perfect cooking utensil for rösti but I soon found out that my 'almost new' pre-seasoned cast iron skillet required a little more seasoning! Once it was coated with a thick layer of potatoes, I switched to a non-stick pan. I'm sure Pierre's mom used cast iron but my Canadian version is cooked in a T-fal pan.


8 comments:

  1. I make something very much like this but I have never heard it called Rosti.
    Your plate certainly looks fit for company!!

    I'm so sorry you lost your friend, but what a warm memory you have from her kitchen!

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  2. Hubby usually makes this but we just call it raw fried potatoes..like your name better. Haven't cooked it up into one large 'pancake' will try that next time.

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  3. Hi Judy, I just found your blog through the Country Sampler forum from one of our members....
    Very nice blog!!!!

    Your recipe today sounds like our Potato Pancakes we have and usually we serve them with our traditional Friday Night Fish Frys in all the restaurants.

    Karen

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  4. MMMM! We love fried potatoes and make them quite often. I have never heard the term rosti. Learned something new. Thanks and your dinner looks decadent.

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  5. I practically grew up on fried potatoes! I don't know if it was an ethnic thing or just a family preference, but I do know my dad loved fried potatoes, so what dad likes gets made often. With frozen french fries and hashbrowns so readily availabe, we forget how tasty homemade fried potatoes really are. My grandmother always added some garlic to them too. Thanks for showing us how to make this "potato patty".

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  6. Judy anything with potatoes and onions is right up my alley. I've made a version of these but I'll try this "authentic" recipe for sure.

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  7. Judy . . your swiss rosti looks so tasty. What a wonderful memory to be able to record here. . .Well done too on putting the little dots on the word rosti. . .it looks like you have a secret that we contributors need.

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  8. Thanks for sharing Rosti. It was a breakfast staple at our farmhouse. I love finding Swiss recipes that I can pass on to my children as my mom does not measure anything :). I found Spatzli in your cookbook and love your version though we add lots of Swiss cheese to ours! Thanks for you excellent blog. -Ruth

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