Author Notes
You have this man's solemn oath, that this is by far the most authentic and delicious recipe for Switzerland's famed Rösti, their take on a hash-brown like potato side dish. While on a trip to Interlaken a few years ago, I had this incredible potato experience for the first time at a little restaurant nestled into the rustic wilderness of this beautiful town. On my plate, along side of a beautifully roasted chicken, sat the most amazing potatoes I had ever tasted! In fact, with my passion to cook and re-create any dish that blows my mind- I didn't hesitate to talk to the owner of the restaurant and ask (ok, beg) as to how to possibly create this dish at home. Before I knew it, the chef had me back in the kitchen and walked me through it step by step! This lesson was priceless. What makes this dish so incredibly tasty is a little bit of science and a little bit of technique. The type of potato used in this recipe is a yukon gold, (chosen because of their higher sugar content than that of a russet) which is boiled just prior to being fork tender- but still firm in texture. The next step is where the magic happens. You must refrigerate the potatoes overnight. Doing so allows their sugars to crystalize, which transforms their flavor when freshly grated into a fry pan containing hot european butter and sprinkled lightly with kosher salt and finely ground black pepper. After cooking on one side, they are flipped and cooked on the other side until lightly golden brown on the outside and incredibly tender, sweet & buttery on the inside. —FischFood
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Ingredients
- Yukon Gold Potatoes
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3 pounds
Yukon Gold Potatoes, peeled (6-8 medium)
- 1/4 Pound European Butter (Plugra or Kerry Gold), Kosher Salt (Diamond Krystal, personal favorite), finely ground black pepper (not from a mill)
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1/4 teaspoon
Salt or sprinkle to taste
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1 pinch
Black pepper or sprinkle to taste
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1 1/2 tablespoons
European butter, per batch
Directions
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In a large pot bring peeled, whole potatoes to a boil in unsalted water & cook until just prior to being fork tender. (about 10 min) Keep checking them- It is important not to let them go too far to fork tender, as in their next phase they need to remain intact to be grated into a fry pan. If they are fork tender or beyond, they will crumble when attempting to grate.
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Drain, and transfer cooked potatoes to a clean bowl and refrigerate them overnight. or at least 6 hours.
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1 Fry pan method: (Nonstick preferred) On medium heat, melt butter into fry pan. Grate cold potato (longer grate size) with a hand grater directly over and into pan. Continue to cook until lightly browned on bottom. (About 5 min) Slide potato cake onto a large plate so that the uncooked side remains facing up. Invert the fry pan over the plate and carefully & quickly flip the plate & pan over so that the uncooked side of the potato cake is now browning. Add a bit more butter down the sides of the pan if necessary. Once golden, transfer potato cake to a large bowl, sprinkle with salt & pepper to taste and mix gently with the tines of a fork. Cover bowl with foil to keep warm and repeat until all the potatoes have been grated and fried.
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Favorite 2 Fry pan method: (Non-stick preferred) Use one med pan and one pan that is a bit smaller. Start by browning potatoes in the smaller pan. When ready to flip, place larger pan over smaller one (making like a clamshell fit) and then carefully invert/flip. The uncooked side of the potato cake should now be ready to be browned nicely in the larger fry pan. Continue cooking next batch again in the smaller pan.
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