Rösti

Over the years I have tried to cook potato rösti and have generally failed miserably. Either the rösti was too soggy and grey, or was burnt on the outside and raw in the middle. Sometimes the whole thing just fell apart as I tried to turn them, or had stuck to the bottom of the pan. I had tried various preparation processes, cooking techniques with little success. In the end I use to buy prepared rösti from Waitrose, though very nice I took as a sign of failure.

However I think I have managed to get it right this time.

I took some Maris Piper potatoes and I think that this was key, getting the ingredients right. I have found Maris Piper a really good potato for roast potatoes and thought that as a result it might work well for rösti.

I peeled the potatoes and then grated the potato into a bowl. I gave the grated potato a squeeze to remove some of the moisture. I then added some grated cheddar cheese. Now according to Wikipedia, true rösti is just plain potatoe, however some regional recipes do use cheese so I wasn’t that concerned.

I then using a flat frying pan added some sunflower oil and placed a handful of the raw ingredients onto the pan. I then pushed and shaped the pile into a round shape not too thick. When I was sure the bottom was cooked and from the edges looked nice and brown, this was the moment of truth, would they stick or turn?

It was a huge sense of relief as I turned the rösti over, it remained in one piece. After finishing that one off, I cooked some more and then placed them in the oven to finish them off and keep them warm.

The next test, was the taste test. I was so pleased with myself, the taste was perfect, I think the cheese added flavour and a hint of saltiness, whilst the texture was just right.

The next big test will be, can I repeat the process to cook rösti to the same standard, that remains to be seen….