The Daring Cooks’ February 2012 challenge was hosted by Audax & Lis and they chose to present Patties for their ease of construction, ingredients and deliciousness! We were given several recipes, and learned the different types of binders and cooking methods to produce our own tasty patties!
When I read this month’s announcement I was so happy! I had hundreds of ideas of what I could make, but in the end I kept going back to the first one: Rösti (also spelt Roesti)! I have eaten my fare share of rösti in Switzerland and I love them! The truth is I had never really made my own! How crazy is that?? I kept thinking they were hard to make, but I was so wrong. They are really easy to make and guess what? All you need is potatoes, salt and extra virgin olive oil (or butter). That’s it. No eggs required for the original Swiss recipe. Just remember not to keep your potatoes in water or they will lose the starch, which is actually what your Rösti need to bind. I made 2 versions: a thicker version to be served with a mushroom ragout for a quick vegetarian meal and a thinner version to be used as a wrap, which I filled with cream cheese and smoked salmon. They were both a great success and even my picky 4 year old devoured them! They are great as a main dish or, smaller, as a side. You could even eat them for breakfast/brunch with poached eggs… so many possibilities! Thanks Audax and Lis for such an amazing challenge! Enjoy!
RÖSTI – ROESTI
Recipe adapted from Restaurant Brasserie Anker Bern
Ingredients: (for 4 people)
1 kg – 2 lbs. raw potatoes
¾ to 1 tbsp salt
3 or 4 tbsp fat (extra virgin olive oil or butter)
Wash, peel and grate the potatoes into fine strips using a box grater (1). Heat the extra virgin olive oil (or butter) in a non stick frying pan with the salt (2). Add the grated potatoes and stir well to mix them with the oil (3). Stir them for a couple of minutes on the fire, then shape the mixture into a pancake and from now on do not stir any more (4). Cook them covered for 10 minutes on each side on a medium flame (5), then uncover them, increase the fire and cook them for another 3 minutes on each side or until golden and crisp (6).
NOTE: The cooking time will vary, depending on the thickness and size of your Rösti.
To make the Rösti wrap, simply fill it with cream cheese and smoked salmon, roll it up and close it with the stem of a spring onion.
MUSHROOM RAGOUT
Ingredients (for 4 persons):
350 gms – 12.25 oz. button mushrooms, cleaned and sliced
150 gms – 5.25 oz. porcini mushrooms, cleaned and sliced (fresh or frozen)
2 cloves of garlic, crushed
2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
1 tbsp parlsey, finely chopped (optional)
150 ml – 5.25 oz. of cooking cream/heavy cream
Salt & Pepper to taste
Crush the garlic cloves, put them in a non stick frying pan with the extra virgin olive oil and let them fry on a low fire for 1 minute. Add the sliced mushrooms, salt & pepper and let them cook until soft.
Add the cream and let it simmer for a couple of minutes.
Put the fire off, add the chopped parsley (optional) and serve on top of the Rösti.
****
In the last year I have also shared with you a few other recipes that fall into the category of “patties”… here they are:
To see all my fellow Daring Cooks posts… click here.
wonderfully presented rosti looks delicious
Amazing!!! Not only that I love your presentation but the whole meal looks like something that I love! Wonderfully done Manu..
xoxo
Rösti are one of our most favourite potatoes, Manu. Having had them in Switzerland with our friends so many years ago, they surely bring back some wonderful memories. I love your presentation with the smoked salmon, in particular. Made me lick my lips. Very nice.
What an appetizing dish, Manu. And I love your cheerful presentation 🙂 Nicely done!
I love roesti, but I never manage to get them to stick together! What is the secret?
Mmmm not sure… I was afraid they wouldn’t stick, but it worked. Do you make them like in the recipe? Let me know!!! <3
Your photography is outstanding and the rosti wraps are marvellous and your step-by-step pixs are very informative. Bravo to you. Cheers from Audax in Sydney Australia.
I haven’t made any rosti for so long now and you manage to made it look so elegant! I bet they make a great starter, or even snack if you make them bite size.
The wrap is one of the prettiest things ever! I’m not a salmon lover but I would love to present this to my family.
Love Rosti but have never tried to make it at home…yours looks wonderful!
Gorgeous! I will take the mushroom ragu one all day long!
Looks delicious, Manu! I am a huge fan of smoked salmon and I love mushroom too… Do I have to pick between the two or can I have both? Delicious! Thanks for sharing & great job on the challenge 🙂
These are amazing just the way they are, but I was thinking, does it still work if you add a bit of grated cheese to pancake? 😀
Hi Fati! In fact, there are many variations. This is the “basic” version, but you can definitely add grated cheese to it (or chopped onions for a sweeter touch). 🙂
I love how you used the roesti as a wrap! I’m totally stealing that idea next time I do breakfast burritos!
These are wonderful! I have made rosti once before many years ago. I don’t know why I haven’t made them again. My children would love them. The mushroom ragu would be perfect with them. BTW, I don’t know how I missed your Baci post. They look perfect! Like the genuine thing. We get them here where I live and I love them and their messages!
Hi Manu! Arrh as a potato lover, this dish will be my must try recipe. We never eat potatoes this way in Japan and I don’t know why! It looks wonderful – I hope mine won’t break into pieces and will be able to wrap like yours.
I love potatoes cooked any and every way and these look great! Love the wrap with the salmon especially, but I know I would have problems getting it thin enough to wrap much less stay together. Going to have to give this a try. I know it would be a huge hit in this house! Once again you met the challenge with flying colors! 🙂
I would love these with the cream cheese and smoked salmon although those mushrooms look delicious too. Fabulous photos.
Interesting! I grew up with Roesti in Germany, but I know them much thicker and smaller. The consistency looks right, though, and I bet they’re just as delicious as I remember! 🙂
My husband is asking me to make rosti for a very long time. I don’t remember when was the last time I had it, it’s not common in Peru even we cook potatos in many kind of variations. I just show your post to my husband and he is wondering what I’m waiting for to make it…!!!