Golden yellow, crispy fried and made from grated potatoes:Rösti. Today, the crispy potato specialty is not only extremely popular in Switzerland. In the Netherlands, too, the dish is often served as a side dish. However, it is often less well known that the tasty dish originated as a farmer's breakfast.
From breakfast to dinner
The rösti, a crispy baked potato bun, is a classic Swiss national dish that has been around since the 19th century. Its origins are believed to be in Zurich, from there it spread to the rest of Switzerland and beyond. The rösti became increasingly popular as a farmer's breakfast and increasingly replaced the previously usual morning porridge and soup dishes. Potato Rösti was the ideal breakfast for the rural population, because with its nutritious ingredients and the mixture of carbohydrates and fat, it gave a lot of strength for a busy day. Rösti was usually served on a plate on the table. Everyone took a little of it with a spoon. In many places it was also customary to dip the Rösti in the morning coffee before eating it.
Incidentally, the name Rösti comes from the Bernese region of the Swiss-German word “röscht”. Originally it referred to various roasted dishes such as apple rösti or bread rösti. Over time, however, the name has established itself for the potato rösti. Later, the potato dish turned from breakfast to a main meal. Versatile to prepare and inexpensive to buy, the dish quickly became popular and is still appreciated beyond the Swiss borders.
The perfect Rösti
Opinions on the perfect way to prepare a rösti differ, especially in Switzerland. The use of raw or pre-cooked potatoes is often discussed passionately. You can prepare a good rösti with both raw and cooked potatoes. In either case, the starch in the potato holds the flatbread together during baking. It is best to use waxy or mostly waxy potatoes. This way the Rösti keeps its shape. Whether raw or boiled potatoes, clarified butter or lard, whether or not a coated skillet is used to prepare the Rösti, it is a matter of taste. This is also apparent from the many regional variations that can be discovered in Switzerland today:in Bern, for example, the rösti is poured over with milk shortly before the end of baking and baked again on both sides. In Ticino, the rösti is served with diced bacon and rosemary and the Valais rösti is au gratin with raclette cheese.
Homemade Rösti
To make rösti at home, all you need is waxy potatoes, an onion, an egg, salt, pepper and clarified butter. The raw potatoes are peeled, grated and pressed through a clean tea towel. Then the dry grated potatoes are mixed in a bowl with salt, pepper, an egg and the finely chopped onion. The mass is then fried in batches in a pan filled with clarified butter. Baking time is five to ten minutes on each side, depending on the size of the rösti. The heat should be on a medium heat, otherwise the röstis may burn.
