Recipe: Roesti Potatoes

Roesti potatoes is a delicious side dish of German – Swiss origin and was a favorite of mine at a German restaurant in Connecticut many years ago. There are many versions of Roesti Potatoes, this version of the dish uses grated Swiss cheese, something I have yet to find in other recipes. It’s simple to make and the potato mixture can be prepared ahead.

Finally, a word about using fresh parsley, I recommend it over the dried variety, to me, the dried parsley lacks flavor. See one of my previous Tips of the Day for chopping and freezing fresh parsley for easy use in recipes.

You may also want to read my Tip about Hash Brown Potatoes.

I hope you enjoy this side dish as much as we do.



Recipe: Roesti Potatoes

All you need:

4 large Russet Potatoes
½ cup melted butter or margarine
1 medium onion, finely chopped
1 cup shredded Swiss cheese
¼ cup finely chopped fresh parsley
½ tsp salt
Pepper to taste

What you need to do:

Gently par boil the potatoes in their skins on medium heat until they are partially cooked but still firm. I try to boil them no more than about 5 minutes after the water starts to boil gently. You don’t want the potatoes to be mushy when you grate them. Let them cool completely and peel them. It is best to refrigerate them overnight for easier grating, but they can be grated after cooling.

Grate the potatoes into a large mixing bowl. Melt the butter or margarine (I do it in a liquid measuring cup in the microwave. You should have approximately ½ cup melted butter or margarine). Add the margarine to the potatoes, turning them so they are coated evenly. Add the remaining ingredients and mix thoroughly.

If you are making the mixture ahead, this is where you would store the potato mixture in an airtight container and refrigerate it. I wouldn’t recommend doing this more than a day in advance.

Heat a non-stick skillet on medium high heat. Using a non-stick skillet is best.

You do not need to grease the skillet since you already have put the butter or margarine in the mixture and it’s a non-stick skillet. If you use a regular skillet, you will need to melt additional butter or margarine, so they won’t stick. Grease the skillet sparingly or your potatoes will be too greasy. Butter flavored spray oil works too.

I have found its best to make smaller mounds of the mixture in the skillet (individual serving size, approximately ½ cup). Press gently down with your spatula to compact the mixture.

Fry the individual “pancakes” on medium high heat, until underside is golden brown and a bit crispy. You can flip them and crisp the other side or just remove them at this point and place them crisp side up on a serving platter or plate. We prefer them crispy, so I usually crisp both sides.

Alternate Cooking Method

You can also use a non-stick omelet pan if you want to make one large “pancake”, and serve it on one platter, but I have found it’s more difficult to handle and you have to make it into 2 batches and use 2 platters. To serve it, you would cut the pancake into wedges.

If you decide to make them this way, place ½ the potato mixture in the heated skillet, press down gently to pack the mixture. Do not stir or flip, let mixture turn golden brown on the bottom and crisp up. You check on the progress by gently lifting an edge with a spatula and peeking.

Removing the larger potato “pancake” from the skillet to a serving platter can be a little tricky because you want the golden brown crispy side up… the best way I have found to do this is to have a serving plate a little larger than the skillet, place the topside of the plate down on the skillet and flip.

This serves six and makes a wonderful accompaniment to many meals. I always serve this with applesauce.

Enjoy!