Rösti
The Swiss potato cake: parboiled, chilled, grated and fried in butter into a crisp golden disc with a tender middle. Three ingredients, one flip.
- prep
- 15 min
- cook
- 25 min
- total
- 40 min
- serves
- 4
- level
- easy
Rösti is three ingredients and one piece of planning: the potatoes are parboiled the day before and chilled overnight. The rested starch is what lets them grate cleanly and fry into a cake that holds instead of a hash that scatters.
This is the Bernese method, and it is worth the small foresight. The flip is the only moment of drama, and a plate makes it painless.
Rösti is one of the world's classic dishes from 67 countries.
method
Peel the cold parboiled potatoes and grate them on the coarse side of a box grater. Season with the salt, tossing loosely.
Melt half the butter with a little oil in a 24 to 26 cm non-stick or well-seasoned pan over medium heat.
Add the potatoes, press gently into an even cake, and cook for 10 to 12 minutes until the underside is deep golden.
Slide the rösti onto a plate, invert the pan over it, and flip. Add the rest of the butter around the edge.
Cook 10 minutes more, then slide onto a board and cut into wedges.
chef's tips
- The overnight chill is the recipe. Raw-grated potato makes a different, wetter dish.
- Press gently; a compacted rösti turns dense instead of crisp outside, tender inside.
- Classic add-ons: bacon in the potatoes, or a fried egg and melted Alpine cheese on top.