The Secrets of the Swiss Potato Rosti Revealed

Swiss potato rosti are simply grated poatato cakes. They are easy to make for a very gourmet breakfast, lunch or brunch. It is probably the inspiration for the American “hash brown”. Many people consider it to be the Swiss National dish, especially those living in German-speaking Switzerland.

A potato rosti recipe makes a  delicious dish and provides some indoor “exercise” with a fair amount of potato grating to be undertaken! Sounds like a good excuse to involve the kids to me, not just the grating but the cooking as well. They’ll love making their own grated potato cakes!

We also take a quick look at Swiss cuisine. We have already nominated Swiss potato rosti as being the national dish of Switzerland. But, of course, Switzerland is famous for its cheeses and chocolates and being right in the center of Europe there are many different influences.

Think of Germany, France and Italy. All three of these country’s languages are official Swiss languages, along with Romansh.

As you would expect, there is a strong influence on Swiss cuisine from these adjoining countries which provides the visitor with a wide variety of food to try!

Swiss Food: More Than Cheese and Chocolate

We visited the Lake Lucerne area and it was a great opportunity to try several of Switzerland’s more famous foods.

But before moving onto that, a few observations.

Like the scenery in this area, the food served was just perfect. In fact, traveling and eating in Switzerland is like being in a fairy tale. Everything is just perfect. The presentation, the food itself, it is just like living in a dream. Nothing is ever out of place. The Swiss enjoy a high standard of living, and for tourists, this is never going to make a “cheap” destination list.

But back to the food.

Switzerland is perhaps best known for chocolate. But don’t miss the opportunity to try the cheese: Swiss, Gruyère and Emmental(er) are several of their more well-known cheeses. Raclette is a personal favorite.

This large piece of cheese, usually a 6 kilogram (13 pounds), piece of cheese, is melted under heat or near an open fire. As the cheese near the heat melts, the soft cheese is scraped off to be served usually on potatoes or good quality toast or ciabatta. Most cheese in Switzerland is still made by hand. As you hike in the Swiss Alps there is the ever-present sound of cow bells ringing. It provides a most pleasant backdrop.

Fondue is an opportunity to try both cheese and chocolate! Traditional fondue is a pot of melted cheeses with kirsch, a local liqueur, mixed in. The pot is served over a flame (to keep it melted). Chunks of bread or vegetables are then dipped into it. Fondue can also be the main meal, when served with beef or other meat for dipping. As a dessert chocolate is served rather than cheese with fruit and cake for dipping. How gourmet, albeit slightly naughty!

Want to know more about famous, Swiss dishes? Here is an article published by the BBC nominating the top 10 Swiss dishes to try. One of those famous dishes is of course our Swiss potato rosti.

Read on for the secrets of the Swiss Potato Rosti to be revealed!

Swiss Potato Rosti

A Swiss rosti recipe is simply grated potatoes and onions, which have been seasoned and then cooked in butter and olive oil. They are essentially grated potato cakes. So, as you can see, an easy potato rosti recipe is a very simple dish indeed. But don’t underestimate them, Swiss potato rosti is extremely versatile.

Not only can you serve them for breakfast, brunch or lunch but they make a great light dinner or supper as well. Our grated potato cakes may be served:

• Plain, accompanied with pepper and salt
• Plain, topped with maple syrup or golden syrup
• Topped with sour cream, chives and red onions
• Topped with smoked salmon and lemon wedges
• Topped with bacon and avocado
• Mixed and matched with any of the above

You can basically top the national dish of Switzerland with whatever you like. You can also serve Swiss potato rosti with eggs; poached eggs are particularly good with them.

The real secret to Swiss rosti is to make sure you squeeze out as much liquid as possible from the grated potato. This ensures the cooking process is quick and results in a crisp and golden outer.

I hope you enjoy these wonderful grated potato rosti. Give them a try. It’s like cooking your own hash brown potatoes.

More Gourmet Breakfasts

For me, Swiss potato rosti makes a very classy breakfast. If you are looking for some more brunch ideas, here are a few more to choose from.

Turkish poached eggs are a one pot dish with spinach, spicy sausage, paprika, tomatoes, feta and of course eggs, all featuring.

Avocado smash is a healthy and gourmet, lighter style brunch. Topped with a slightly runny poached egg, it is simply divine.

Strapatsada is simply Greek scrambled eggs with an inordinate amount of cherry tomatoes. The trick is in how you cook the tomatoes that truly makes this dish a gourmet delight.

 

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The Secrets of the Swiss Potato Rosti Revealed

Print Recipe

Easy to make, fun to cook and delicious to eat. Eat them plain or top with whatever you have.

Servings	Prep Time	Cook Time
4people	15minutes	30minutes

Servings	Prep Time
4people	15minutes

Cook Time

30minutes

• Course Breakfast, Main Dish
• Cuisine Rest of World, Swiss

Ingredients

• Swiss Potato Rosti
• 4 potatoes waxy, medium-sized, peeled, roughly grated
• 1 onion, brown finely diced
• salt, ground sea
• black pepper, ground
• 2 tbsp butter melted, optional
• 4 tbsp olive oil
• Sour Cream, Chives and Salad Onion
• 4 tbsp sour cream
• 2 tbsp chives fresh, chopped
• 1 onion, salad (red) small, thinly sliced
• Smoked Salmon
• 4 slices salmon, smoked
• 4 wedges lemons
• Bacon and Avocado
• 4 slices bacon
• 1 avocado sliced

Servings: people

Units:MetricUS Imperial

Course Breakfast, Main Dish Cuisine Rest of World, Swiss Ingredients Swiss Potato Rosti 4 potatoes waxy, medium-sized, peeled, roughly grated 1 onion, brown finely diced salt, ground sea black pepper, ground 2 tbsp butter melted, optional 4 tbsp olive oil Sour Cream, Chives and Salad Onion 4 tbsp sour cream 2 tbsp chives fresh, chopped 1 onion, salad (red) small, thinly sliced Smoked Salmon 4 slices salmon, smoked 4 wedges lemons Bacon and Avocado 4 slices bacon 1 avocado sliced Servings: people Units:MetricUS Imperial

Instructions

1. Pre-heat oven to 200 f (95 c). Once potatoes have been grated, squeeze out as much liquid as possible (using a clean tea towel). Place the potato in a bowl, add diced brown onion, sea salt, pepper and melted butter (if using).
2. In a non-stick pan, heat the oil over a medium-high heat. Place about a handful of grated potato mixture into the pan and flatten with the back of an egg flip. Depending on the size of your pan, place another handful or 2 into the pan. Do not over-crowd the pan. Cook for about 5 minutes or until golden brown. Carefully flip and cook for a further 5 minutes. Remove the cooked rostis and place on a tray covered with absorbent paper to drain. Place in the oven to keep warm. Repeat with remaining potato mixture.
3. To serve, place the cooked rostis on a warmed plate, top with your ingredients of choice or eat them plain.