Rösti is a popular dish among many regardless of whether one has been to Switzerland or not. It is a French name, originating from the French canton of Bern in Switzerland. It came from the Swiss farmers as a dish made of grated potatoes, simply pan-fried and served with other sides such as bacon slices, eggs , sausages or salad.
Eating this dish immediately brings one back to Switzerland as well as think about Christmas. It feels so different eating this dish at home in Singapore, and eating it where it came from. I miss Zurich, Bern and Geneva, most of all Bern because of the Patek Philippe Museum. There are a few of those places I would love to be able to visit again soon and Bern is definitely one of them. I would like to spend the whole day at the museum if I could, and maybe say hi again to the bears, if they (or their offspring) are still there. I would also love to visit Vienna again to get my hands on another lovely pig, that is, if the cart full of pigs is still in business. Covid has changed so many things, one can’t be sure anymore.
It’s September going into autumn and winter, so my mind is filled with holiday ideas. I hope to be able to make a trip somewhere in December. Let’s see how everything turns out. But if a revisit to Europe can’t be done, then hopefully somewhere relaxing and interesting at the very least.
For now, I’ll keep my spirits alive with sweet memories first starting with my plate of crusty rösti..
Ingredients:
- Potato: 4 (500g)
- Salt: 1/2 tsp
- Ground blackpepper: 1/2 tsp
- Butter: 60g (2 tbsp)
- Egg: 2 (for serving with)
- Bacon: 4 slices (for serving with)
Method:
- Boil potatoes for 15min till cooked. Leave to cool.
- Peel off the skin from the potatoes. Cover each potato with film and chill in fridge overnight.
- Coarsely grate potatoes into strips. Add salt and blackpepper to combine.
- Heat 15g butter in frying pan. Once sizzling, scoop in half of the potatoes. Spread out and press down into a pancake. Cook over low heat for 15min till crusty.
- Place a plate over rösti and invert it onto the plate.
- Heat another 15g butter in frying pan. Slide rösti back to cook the other side till crispy.
- Repeat steps 4 to 6 for the other serving of rösti.
- Serve hot with eggs and bacon.
Serving:
3 – 4 persons as main dish
