swiss fried potatoes!
Copy-and-Print Recipe at bottom of page!
This is my very favorite potato recipe…Swiss fried potatoes, called Roeschti!
There are many different variations…here is one Berner Oberland version of Roeschti!
To start with, wash & boil a bag of potatoes…about 5 pounds will make 2 pans of roesti & a half a bag will make about a pan of roesti. I usually cook a whole bag of potatoes so I can make another batch the next day…
Russet potatoes work really well for this…but I have used any kind. Some potatoes tend to get a little mushed together (like the Yukon Golds), but that’s all right, they are still delicious to me!
If you have a choice, though, I would try Russet!
Boil the potatoes until they are no longer crunchy. They should still be firm (firmer than you would like to eat)–just cook until the crunch has left them (in the ballpark of 10 to 20 minutes, depending on the potatoes, but watch carefully so not overcooked!).
Allow potatoes to cool overnight…or just prepare them a few hours before mealtime…
Then, just peel and grate the potatoes (when in a hurry, some potatoes can be grated with the peel still on…what happens is, a little bit of the peel will get into the potatoes, but most of the peel will get stuck outside of the grater, in your hand. The potato will kind of slip out of the peel as you go along, as you see below. This does not always work, but it is worth a try!)
After I grate the potatoes, I spread them out on the cutting board & let them dry out a bit. They will hold their shape better & be a little more crispy, it seems to me, especially if a bit over-boiled…
Heat up a skillet with oil (maybe 1/4 cup?) on medium heat, until the oil is well heated through & through. (Canola oil is a very good, heart-healthy choice!) A non-stick skillet works really well for Roeschti!
For people on a low-fat diet, that is okay…just use a non-stick skillet & very little canola oil! This recipe will still be yummy!
Some people will add some finely chopped onion or chopped garlic to the potatoes…
Then, just allow the potatoes to get golden brown on the bottom, then turn gently, & allow the bottom to get golden brown again…keep going until it is the golden-brownness you desire. It will take a while…
While it is cooking, it usually starts to look a little dry to me, so I will usually add a bit more canola oil…
Salt to taste…
When the potatoes are nice golden brown as in the first picture above (or darker, however you like it), & salted to taste, just sample a little bit & see if it tastes good…if done, just serve into a pretty platter.
Another option, when the Roeschti is almost done, is to form the whole panful of Roeschti into a disc, just very gently patting it down a little & gathering the sides in a bit with the spatula, so it looks like a big, round flying saucer of sorts…then, allow the bottom to get a really, nice thick golden brown, & then carefully invert the whole thing onto a plate! That is a very beautiful & delicious variation as well!
Sometimes, I will cut out different shapes of Gruyere cheese to make a pattern, & place them on top at the end, then just cover the platter for a minute or two so the cheese starts to melt…this is pretty & delicious as well!
My Roeschti varies somewhat with the potatoes used, how much oil, how the stars are aligned, etc…if you make it many times, you will discover the best way to make Roeschti to your liking!
Enjoy!
love,
Clay Ball
Copy-and-Print Recipe below!
Clay Ball’s Swiss Fried Potatoes (Roeschti!)
INGREDIENTS:
5-pound bag of russet potatoes (for about 2 pans of Roeschti)
canola oil
salt to taste
(optional: grated or finely diced onion or garlic, added at the beginning )
(optional: freshly ground black pepper, added at end)
(optional: grated or thin slices of Gruyere cheese (add to the top of the Roeschti at end & then turn off the heat & cover the pan for a few minutes, allowing the cheese to melt on top of the potatoes–yummy!)
1. Boil the potatoes until the crunch has gone from them (in the ballpark of 10 to 20 minutes). Watch carefully so they do not get too soft. They should still be harder than the usual potatoes you would eat, but no longer crunchy (if they still have a little crunch, that is okay–better a little too hard than too soft for this recipe!)
2. Allow the potatoes to cool overnight, or at least for several hours.
3. Peel & grate the potatoes, spreading them out on the cutting board & allowing them to dry out a bit (maybe for 15 minutes). If you don’t have time for this drying step, it is not crucial. (It just seems to make the potatoes a bit more crispy to me.) If the potatoes were overcooked, then I would let them dry out a bit…
4. Heat a non-stick skiller over medium heat, & cover the bottom generously with canola oil (the heart-healthy oil!).
Allow the oil to get thoroughly hot before adding potatoes!
Then add a panful of grated potatoes (maybe 2-1/2 pounds or even a bit more), and gently stir to coat with oil. The potatoes usually will make a sizzling sound the whole time they are frying. If no sizzling is heard, maybe the heat needs to be just a bit higher.
5. Let the bottom of the potatoes become crispy golden brown, then gently turn & repeat. Gradually, more & more of the potatoes will be a golden brown.
If they seem a bit dry, add some more canola oil to the edge of the pan, & then gently stir into the potatoes.
Keep going until the potatoes seem to have a nice golden brown color scattered throughout…
6. Salt to taste, stir gently, and then sample the Roeschti to see if they need to be salted or browned a little more…
Then serve onto a pretty platter. This is how I usually make Roeschti!
7. Another option: Near the end, you can also gently pat into a cake shape, & let the bottom get a thick, golden-brown finish, then invert carefully into a plate that is a little smaller than the pan, so it does not have too far to fall!
8. Yet another variant is to place simple Gruyere cheese slices (for special occasions, you can cut the cheese into shapes with a cookie cutter, or use triangles of cheese placed in a geometrical pattern) on top, then cover for a minute or 2 to allow the cheese to melt a little. This can be done once the Roeschti is piping hot on the platter.
Anyway you make it, it is delicious!
A Guete!
love,
Clay Ball
