Rösti is a potato-based dish of Swiss origin. Rösti, in Swiss German, means “crisp and golden.”
It is similar to American hash browns. But Rösti is a cooked giant pancake style, it tends to be thicker than other potato pancake varieties, like a giant crispy potato cheese fritter. This gives them a creamy and smooth interior. Crisp on the outside, soft and meltingly, within.
Grated potatoes are mixed with sautéed onions and pan-fried until crisp and golden, covered with a generous layer of cheese (optionally also with smoked sausage, ham or bacon) until a good aroma wafts out of the pan. Onion has a crispier texture and stronger flavour than potatoes, creating a much-needed balance, which makes this rösti potato more appealing than the plain version.
Rösti was originally served for breakfast, but it is often served as a side dish nowadays. It also works great as a main course, especially if you are a potato lover.
You can use American-made “Swiss” cheese, but if you splurge on a more flavourful Swiss or French Gruyère, you’ll have a more authentic dinner, and your taste buds will thank you.
This versatile dish also can be topped with an egg and served with a salad for brunch or dinner or alongside a steak or other red meat for a satisfying main course.
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Rösti potatoes Fast2eat
Ingredients
Parboil the potatoes
- 1 kg Potato - about 250-300 g / 8.8-10 oz per person
- 1 tsp Salt - or to taste
Sauté onion
- 1 tbsp Olive oil
- 1 Onion - minced
- Salt - to taste
- Black pepper - freshly ground - optional to taste
Sauté calabrese (smoked sausage) or Toscana
- 2 cup Smoked sausage - grated calabrese sausage (In Canada buy it here) or Toscana sausage (In Canada buy it here) or bacon or smoked ham – about ½ cup = 50-65 g / 1.76-2.3 oz per person
Filling
- 4 tsp Olive oil - 1 tsp per serving or to taste
- 4 tsp Butter - or goose fat - 1 tsp per serving or to taste
- 2 cup Gruyère cheese - grated - or “Swiss” cheese – about ½ cup = 50 g / 1.76 oz per person
- 2 cup Mozzarella cheese - grated - or provolone or Parmesan – about ½ cup = 50 g / 1.76 oz per person
- Green onion - chopped - or chives - optional to taste
- Parsley - chopped - optional to taste
- Salt - optional to taste
- Black pepper - freshly ground - optional to taste
- Nutmeg - or paprika - optional to taste
- 4 tsp Water - hot - 1 tsp per serving
For garnish
- Green onion - roots trimmed, chopped
- Parsley - chopped
- Parmesan cheese - Sliced petals
Instructions
Parboil potatoes (you can do it a day before)
- Bring a large pot of salted water to boil. Add the whole, unpeeled potatoes and simmer for 6-10 minutes. They should be cooked but still firm, not falling apart. Parboiled potatoes should be slightly tender but not soft.
- Drain, and put them in a bowl with cold water and ice.
- Let the potatoes cool and chill for at least a couple of hours. You can let them chill in the fridge overnight.
Mix cheese
- In a large bowl, combine the cheese and stir well. Reserve.
Grate the potatoes
- Once totally cool (or on the next day), peel and coarsely grate the potatoes using a food processor or box grater.
- Place potatoes into a different large bowl.
Sauté onion
- Heat 1 tablespoon of olive oil in a large non-stick skillet, and sauté onion for about 2-5 minutes, frequently stirring, until reduce but not brown.
- Add salt and pepper, stir again.
- Add onions to bowl with potatoes and gently stir.
- Don't clean skillet.
Preparing the rösti
- Reheat a large non-stick skillet over medium heat, adding 1/2 tablespoon of butter and* 1/2 tablespoons of olive oil to coat the entire bottom of the pan.*Why butter and oil? Just using oil doesn’t have as nice a flavour. Just using butter gives a better flavour but won’t make it as crispy, and you get little black bits from the burnt bits of butter.
- When skillet and oil are very hot (but not smoking), add half of the grated potato mixture and spread it out evenly to make a thin layer cover the bottom of the pan.
- Allow cooking for about 1-2 minutes, while shaping it into a flat cake to form into a nice disc, pressing down lightly with a spatula.
- Top with the mixture of all the cheese and smoked sausage over the potato “pancake.”
- Then optionally sprinkle with green onions, a little salt and freshly ground pepper over fillings.
- Reduce heat to moderate
- Spread out the remaining grated potatoes on top, pressing down and around as you go with a spatula, covering all the cheese.
- When all the layers are assembled, sprinkle a little hot water over the top layer.
- Cover the skillet and continue to sauté over medium-low heat for about 5 minutes until the bottom layer browns.
- When the bottom potato cake edges are golden, gently shake the pan to loosen the Rösti. If needed, carefully work a spatula under the edges to loosen rösti. Then place a plate (that is larger than the sauté pan) over the pan and, using oven mitts, carefully turn the pan over so rösti ends up on the plate.
- If needed, add 1 teaspoon of butter and* 1 teaspoon olive oil and slide the Rösti back into the pan, uncooked side down.*Why butter and oil? Just using oil doesn’t have as nice a flavour. Just using butter gives a better flavour but won’t make it as crispy, and you get little black bits from the burnt bits of butter.
- Cook, covered for 5 more minutes, or until the bottom of the second side is golden brown.
- Remove to a plate covered with a paper towel to soak the excess grease.
- Add more salt and pepper if desired.
- Let it stand for 5 minutes before serving!
- To hold and keep warm: Transfer to rack set over a tray in a 120°C/250°F oven until ready to serve.
- Garnish with remaining green onions, parsley, Parmesan petals and serve hot!
Notes



- With anything which might otherwise be served with fried or mashed potatoes.
- For delighted cheers, serve them with your next steak or roast beef.
- Add smoked salmon to the plate for a traditional accompaniment.
- A green salad.
- Smoked ham.
- Mountain cheese.
- As a base for white fish (such as a sole).
- Lumpfish and some crème fraîche.
- German sausage, bratwurst.
- Meatloaf.
- With spinach and fried eggs (very typical – spinat und spiefelei).
- Or with a fried egg and crème fraiche.
- Leeks, spinach, lemon and ricotta.
- Spread with tapenade (a provençal paste or dip, made from black olives, capers, and anchovies) and artichoke hearts, sprinkle with some dry-fried fennel seeds and a little fresh, chopped coriander.
- Combine sour cream with parsley, green onion and Dijon mustard.
- topped with guacamole and a poached egg.

Smoked Calabrese Sausage - (Brazilian style)

Toscana sausage

To properly prepare your recipe, you may need to use the conversion tables to accurately convert the weight, volume, length, and temperature of all the necessary ingredients. These Fast2eat conversion tables will allow you to ensure that your recipe turns out perfectly and that all measurements are precise and accurate.
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Nutrition
Nutrition information is calculated using an ingredient database and should be considered an estimate.
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