Rösti
Rösti is associated above all with the canton of Bern, where farmers are said to have eaten it for breakfast. Today it is one of Switzerland's emblematic dishes. It is one large cake of coarsely grated potato, fried in butter until both sides have a deep golden, crisp crust, while the inside stays soft. Many Swiss cooks make it from potatoes boiled in their skins the day before and well chilled — they are firmer, grate into dry shreds and do not stick, so the rösti keeps its shape. It is served with a fried egg, cheese or as a side to meat.
Your own work in that: 0 min.
- Boiling the potatoes 20 min
- Chilling overnight 720 min
- Grating 10 min
- Frying both sides 30 min
Step by step
0 / 8 doneBoil the potatoes in their skins
Scrub the potatoes and boil them whole, in their skins, 15–20 minutes from boiling, until almost tender — a knife should meet slight resistance.
Ingredients: 800 g waxy or all-purpose potatoes · 40 g butter or clarified butter · 1 tsp salt · ¼ tsp black pepper
Chill overnight
Drain the potatoes, cool and refrigerate overnight (about 12 hours). Cold potatoes grate into dry, separate shreds.
Ingredients: 800 g waxy or all-purpose potatoes · 40 g butter or clarified butter · 1 tsp salt · ¼ tsp black pepper
Grate the potatoes
Peel the potatoes and grate them on the coarse side of a grater. Season with salt and pepper and toss gently with your fingers.
Ingredients: 800 g waxy or all-purpose potatoes · 40 g butter or clarified butter · 1 tsp salt · ¼ tsp black pepper
Coarse, dry shreds — they do not stick.Heat the butter
Heat half the butter in a frying pan about 26 cm across, ideally cast iron or non-stick, over medium heat.
Ingredients: 800 g waxy or all-purpose potatoes · 40 g butter or clarified butter · 1 tsp salt · ¼ tsp black pepper
Shape the cake
Tip the potato into the pan, spread evenly and press lightly with a spatula into a cake about 2–2.5 cm thick. Round off the edges.
Ingredients: 800 g waxy or all-purpose potatoes · 40 g butter or clarified butter · 1 tsp salt · ¼ tsp black pepper
Pressed lightly — not packed solid.Fry the first side
Fry over medium-low heat 12–15 minutes, shaking the pan, until the underside is deep golden and the cake slides.
Ingredients: 800 g waxy or all-purpose potatoes · 40 g butter or clarified butter · 1 tsp salt · ¼ tsp black pepper
Flip the cake
Slide the rösti onto a large plate, cover with the pan and flip them together. Add the rest of the butter around the cake and fry the second side 12–15 minutes.
Ingredients: 800 g waxy or all-purpose potatoes · 40 g butter or clarified butter · 1 tsp salt · ¼ tsp black pepper
Plate, pan, one movement.Serve
Slide the rösti onto a board and cut into wedges. Serve at once, with a fried egg, mountain cheese or bacon.
Ingredients: 800 g waxy or all-purpose potatoes · 40 g butter or clarified butter · 1 tsp salt · ¼ tsp black pepper
Before you start
From raw potatoes
A quicker version uses raw grated potato. Squeeze it hard in a cloth and fry longer, about 20 minutes per side, over lower heat.
With additions
In Switzerland rösti often includes fried onion, bacon or grated cheese (such as Appenzeller) — mix them into the potato before frying.
Storage
Boiled potatoes keep up to 2 days in the fridge before frying. Fried rösti is best at once.
