The “Röstigraben” (Rösti ditch), which light-heartedly traces the difference in mentality between German-speaking and French-speaking Switzerland, does not extend to the kitchen.
Rösti, originally a farmers’ breakfast from German-speaking Switzerland, is now a Swiss national dish, highly popular on both sides of the Röstigraben. Each region has its own version. The Bernese, for example, are known for their crispy Rösti fried in butter.
Tips
- Slowly sweat 1 onion, chopped or sliced into thin strips, in the butter, before adding potatoes and cooking as above.
- Fry 100 g diced bacon until crispy, before adding potatoes and cooking as above.
- Top rösti with fried eggs.
Ingredients
| 1 kg | waxy potatoes boiled in their skins the previous day, peeled – grate coarsely into a bowl |
| 1 teaspoon | salt |
| clarified butter | heat in a frying pan. Add potatoes, cook for approx. 5 minutes, turning occasionally. Press into a flattish cake shape with a fish slice or spatula, then leave to cook undisturbed over medium heat for approx. 15 minutes. Lay a flat plate upside-down over the frying pan and flip the rösti over onto the plate. Add a little more clarified butter to the pan and slide the rösti back in. Finish cooking the underside (approx. 15 minutes). |
Source: Myswitzerland, Photo: Winsconsin Cheese