Rösti

Name: Rösti
Yield: 4 pieces
Cuisine: Swiss
Ingredients: 3 starchy potatoes; 1/2 very small onion (or 2 green onion stalks); 8 teaspoons oil; salt, black pepper

January 4, 2014

Potatoes Fasting Recipes Budget Recipes Vegetables

This rösti version is exactly as I had it in Innsbruck at the Piano restaurant. I loved the soft texture of the potatoes wrapped in their crispy crust and wanted to be able to make it at home. Radu had the mission to refine this recipe, testing various pans, amounts of oil, and types of potatoes. In the end, this was the winning version. I want to thank him for his help and for all the rösti he'll be making for me from now on 😋 This time I served it with smoked salmon and cream cheese with sour cream and dill (it would also go well with horseradish cream). In Innsbruck they were served as a side dish with Wiener Schnitzel.

Ingredients

3 starchy potatoes
1/2 very small onion (or 2 green onion stalks)
8 teaspoons oil
salt, black pepper

Pieces: 4 rösti, 15 cm diameter; 2-3 servings

How to prepare rösti

The first rule is using a non-stick pan - I got the best results with a Teflon-coated cast iron pan. The second is using starchy potatoes, so the potato pancake will be crispy on top but soft, almost creamy I'd say, inside. The third rule is using little oil (a bit more than for pancakes), depending on your pan size. For a 15 cm pan, I used 1 teaspoon of oil for each side. Instead of oil you can also use duck fat, or add a splash of butter when frying the second side (if you don't want a vegan version).
Grate the potatoes and onion. Season well with salt and lots of ground black pepper. Mix gently by hand until the seasonings are evenly distributed.
Heat 1 teaspoon of oil in the pan. Check if it's hot by dropping in a few potato shreds - they should sizzle when you put them in the pan.
Add potatoes to the pan and press them with the back of a spoon into an even, thin layer across the entire surface. You should use just enough potatoes to cover the bottom of the pan without seeing through them (about 2 mm). If the potato layer is too thick, it either won't cook properly inside or you'll burn the outside trying to cook it through to the middle. Press the potatoes firmly in the pan with the spoon. Be careful not to leave stray potato shreds on the edges - pull them toward the center with the spoon, otherwise they'll burn.
Fry the rösti on the first side for 3.5-4 minutes over medium heat.
Place a plate on the pan and flip the pancake onto the plate. Put 1 teaspoon of oil (and a little butter if desired) in the pan and let the pancake slide back in. Fry on the second side for another 3 minutes, also over medium heat.
Remove the pancake from the pan and cut it into four. Stack the slices on top of each other - they look very nice that way.
Serve rösti immediately while hot.