Rösti

Name: Rösti
Prep time: 35 min
Cook time: 8 h 25 min
Total time: 9 h
Cuisine: Switzerland
Ingredients: 800 g (1¾ lb) waxy or all-purpose potatoes, about 5 medium, boiled in their skins the day before; 6 g (1 tsp) fine sea salt; 1 pinch black pepper; 40 g (3 tbsp) clarified butter or butter plus oil, e.g. 25 g butter + 1 tbsp oil

Switzerland's crisp, golden potato cake

Makes: one 24 cm rösti
Hands-on: 35 min
Total: 9 h
Level: Some skill

Rösti is grated potato pressed into a pan and fried in butter until it forms a thick, golden, crunchy crust with a soft center. Using potatoes cooked the day before gives the best texture and the least sticking.

Ingredients

800 gwaxy or all-purpose potatoes (1¾ lb)about 5 medium, boiled in their skins the day before
6 gfine sea salt (1 tsp)
1 pinchblack pepper
40 gclarified butter or butter plus oil (3 tbsp)e.g. 25 g butter + 1 tbsp oil

Diet: Vegetarian, Gluten-free
Allergens: milk
Origin: Switzerland

Method

The day before: boil the potatoes in their skins in salted water until just tender to the point of a knife, 15–20 minutes. Drain, cool, and refrigerate overnight.
Peel the cold potatoes and grate them on the coarse side of a box grater. Toss gently with the salt and pepper.
Heat half the fat in a 24 cm nonstick or cast-iron frying pan over medium heat until shimmering.
Add the potatoes and press them lightly into an even cake about 2 cm thick, tidying the edges with a spatula. Don't pack them hard.
Cook without stirring, shaking the pan occasionally, until the underside is deep golden and crisp, 10–12 minutes. Lift an edge to check. 11 min
Slide the rösti onto a plate, cover with another plate and flip. Add the remaining fat to the pan, then slide the rösti back in, browned side up.
Cook until the second side is golden and crisp, 8–10 minutes. 9 min
Slide onto a board, cut into wedges and serve immediately.

Why it works

Cooking the potatoes a day ahead and chilling them causes some starch to recrystallize (retrogradation), so the grated strands stay distinct and sturdy and release less sticky starch in the pan. This gives a crisp, open crust rather than a gluey cake. Medium heat lets the crust brown slowly while the inside heats through.

Common mistakes

Packing the potatoes tight: the cake turns dense and gluey. Press lightly.
Moving the rösti too soon: wait until a crust forms and it slides when you shake the pan.
Heat too high: the outside burns before the inside warms.

Variations

Raw-potato rösti: Grate 800 g raw potatoes, squeeze them very dry in a towel, and cook at slightly lower heat, 15 minutes per side.
Rösti with bacon and onion: Fry 100 g diced bacon and 1 sliced onion first and mix into the potatoes; top with a fried egg (Fried Eggs).