Rösti from the Pan
The Swiss classic: grated potato, fried in plenty of butter until it is crisp outside and tender inside. Four ingredients and one pan.
The step you cannot skip is the first one: the potatoes are boiled and cooled before they are grated. Grated raw they give off too much water and the rösti comes out pasty instead of crisp; pre-cooked, the starch stays where it belongs and the grated potato holds together on its own.
Best of all is to boil them the day before and leave them in the fridge overnight — cold potatoes also grate far more neatly.
Ingredients
- 800 g potatoes (a firm variety that does not fall apart)
- 50 g butter (be generous)
- Salt
- Pepper
Method
- 1
Boil the potatoes in their skins until they are almost tender and let them cool completely — ideally overnight in the fridge.
- 2
Peel them, grate them coarsely and season with salt and pepper. Mix only lightly, without pressing: the grated potato has to stay loose.
- 3
Melt plenty of butter in a pan, tip in the grated potato, flatten it into an even disc and cook over medium heat until it browns. Turn it only once a firm crust has formed — turning it too early breaks it up.