A Rösti by Any Other Name…

  As much as food changes from culture to culture, some dishes remain practically the same. Every culture seems to have a flatbread: Italian pizza, Indian naan, Greek pita, Mexican tortillas, Chinese bing, to name a few. Pancakes are another cross-culture favorite, though they vary widely in form and accompaniments. Take a look at this slideshow of 12 pancakes around the world. The Swiss-German Rösti belongs to this club, being practically identical to American hash browns, which are, in turn, a close cousin to British bubble and squeak. Add a little cream and cheese and you have French gratin. Add and a little flour and you’re serving Jewish latkes. Clearly grated potatoes cooked in fat are a winner in any language.

A few Swiss cooks have kindly taught me to make Rösti in the traditional way. I love the way they occasionally rubs butter pads around the sides of the pan, promoting crispy goldenness. I love watching them deftly flip that Rösti, maintaining its beautiful shape and not losing a single hash in the process. However, I’m not a fan of parboiling the potatoes and waiting for them to cool overnight before grating. I’m cooking lunch, not entering a Rösti contest.

So I’m going to give you my cross-cultural version, bringing a few American methods on board. Skip the parboiling, but use a food processor to grate the potatoes, saving time and your knuckles. Squeeze as much liquid as possible from the grated potatoes before cooking (using a potato ricer), so the potatoes crisp up while cooking instead of simmering in their own juices (thanks to Cook’s Illustrated for this tip).

Recipe: Rösti

Makes one large Rösti (about 22cm in diameter), enough for 2 people

500 g waxy potatoes, a.k.a. festkochende
About 50 g butter
Salt and pepper

1. Grate potatoes, using a food processor if available.

2. Using a potato ricer or sieve, squeeze and discard liquid from the grated potatoes.

3. Toss grated potatoes with salt and pepper to taste, about 1 teaspoon salt and ¼ teaspoon pepper.

4. Heat a non-stick pan over medium heat. Add and melt 2 Tbsp. butter.
Sprinkle grated potatoes over the pan until evenly distributed. Press lightly with a spatula so the Rösti is compact and the surface is relatively flat.

5. Cook about 15 minutes until underside is golden brown and the bottom layer of potatoes is mostly cooked through. During cooking time, occasionally add small butter pads around the side, allowing them to melt down into the Rösti.

6. Slide the Rösti onto a plate or cutting board; add another 2 Tbsp. butter to pan and allow it to melt. Flip the Rösti back into the pan with the uncooked side down.

7. Cook for another 15 minutes or so, until the underside is golden brown and the potatoes are cooked through. Continue to add small pads of butter to the sides.

8. Slide the finished Rösti onto a plate for serving or onto a cutting board and cut into wedges.

Rösti is traditionally served with fried eggs and bacon or thinly sliced meat sautéed in a cream sauce.

By Tanya Deans

Originally from San Francisco, Tanya has made Zurich her home for the past decade with her husband and two growing boys. She runs Moms:Tots:Zurich, which is all about hiking with kids in Switzerland and other family-friendly outings in and around Zurich.