Rosti -

Rosti

Made without any added fat, flour or eggs to bind it, this potato cake is excellent to serve with roasted or grilled meat.

Ingredients

600 g potatoes
Knob of butter
1 tablespoon olive oil
Salt and pepper to taste

Details

Serves: 4

Method

Parboil the potatoes in their skins for 10 minutes. Drain and set aside to cool. Peel the potatoes and grate them using a coarse grater, this is easier to do if they are chilled beforehand.

Heat the butter and oil in a 20 cm non-stick frying pan. Spread the grated potatoes evenly in the pan, patting them down firmly. Reduce the heat to a low setting, season with salt and pepper and cook for 10 minutes.

Turn the rösti over to brown the other side. To do this, place a plate over the pan and turn the potato cake out on to it, then quickly slide it back into the pan. (Add a touch more oil at this point if the pan looks dry.) Cook the second side for 10 minutes then divide the rösti into 4 equal portions and serve. You may find that the rösti refuses to hold together, but this does not matter as it will be delicious anyhow.

VARIATIONS ON ROSTI:- Individual rösti can also be made by forming a few small patties rather than one large one with the grated potatoes. Mould them in the palm of your hand, pressing the potato mixture together firmly, then fry them in plenty of oil for roughly 5 minutes on each side.

Flavourings can be added to the grated potato mixture, but do bear in mind that these should be fairly strong flavours in small quantities, as there is nothing except the natural potato starch to act as a binder. Adding a few chopped anchovy fillets to the grated potato makes a delicious fish cake. Some grated onion or fresh parmesan cheese also makes an interesting addition and any herb will give the rösti an aromatic flavour.

Related food category:

• Vegetable and Side Dishes