Lyons Family Cookbook

Potato Roesti

2 1/2

lbs

Yukon Gold potatoes (5 to 6 medium), peeled and shredded

3/4

tsp

table salt

1 1/2

tsp

cornstarch

Ground black pepper

5

Tbsp

unsalted butter

1

Place potatoes in large bowl and fill with cold water. Using hands, swirl to remove excess starch, then drain in strainer.

2

Wipe bowl dry. Place one-third of potatoes in center of kitchen towel. Gather ends together and twist as tightly as possible to expel maximum moisture. Transfer potatoes to bowl and repeat process (twice) with remaining potatoes.

3

Sprinkle salt, cornstarch, and pepper to taste over potatoes. Using hands or fork, toss ingredients together until well blended.

4

Melt 2 1/2 tablespoons butter in 12-inch non-stick skillet over medium heat. When foaming subsides, add potato mixture and spread into even layer. Cover and cook 6 minutes. Remove cover and, using spatula, gently press potatoes down to form round cake. Cook, occasionally pressing on potatoes to shape into uniform round cake, until bottom is deep golden brown, 8 to 10 minutes longer.

5

Shake skillet to loosen roesti and slide onto large plate ( a 12" pizza pan works great). Add remaining 2 1/2 tablespoons butter to skillet and swirl to coat pan. Invert roesti onto a second pizza pan (and slide it, browned side up, back into skillet. Cook, occasionally pressing down on cake, until bottom is well browned, 8 to 10 minutes. Remove pan from heat and allow cake to cool in pan for 5 minutes. Transfer roesti to cutting board, cut into 4 pieces if serving as a main course, and 6 pieces if serving as a side dish. Serve immediately.

Producing a golden-brown crust for our roesti recipe wasn't much of a problem, but the inside always came out gluey and half-cooked. For a better roesti recipe, inside and out, we eliminated moisture by wringing the raw grated potatoes in a towel rather than patting them with a paper towel. First covering the potatoes, then uncovering them to finish cooking created surprisingly light potatoes. Our final breakthrough came when we tried removing excess starch with a rinse in cold water before squeezing, but then added back just enough starch to hold the cake together by tossing the rinsed, squeezed-dry grated potato with a teaspoon of cornstarch. The test kitchen prefers a roesti prepared with potatoes that have been cut through the large shredding disk of a food processor. It is possible to use a box grater to cut the potatoes, but they should be cut lengthwise, so you are left with long shreds. It is imperative to squeeze the potatoes as dry as possible. A well-seasoned cast-iron skillet can be used in place of the nonstick skillet. By adding fried eggs, ham, bacon, cheese, cooked onions, and/or tomatoes, (see below for specific suggestions), roesti can be turned into a light meal.

Source

Source: Cooks Illustrated