Baked Potato Rösti or Roesti

Ah, potatoes.  How did we live without you before you were brought back from the New World?  It seems that everyone adores you, in whatever form you take on our plates.  Fried, baked, mashed, in wedges or chips, or even in cakes, you have a multitude of uses.  Oh, and we can't forget your liquid form - i.e. potato vodka - the really good stuff.

For some reason, Mr P. always takes on the role of cooking rice and pasta dishes in our household.  It is also his (self-appointed) job to deal with any sort of frying.  Now that I think about it, he has made us latkes, Polish placki, chips, wedges, mashed potato... and on it goes.  So yes, all forms of potato are his forté.  You guessed it!  He did the frying up for these delicious rösti too.




ingredients:


1.5 kg potatoes

2 medium onions

3 cloves of garlic, finely chopped

2-3 small red chillies, finely chopped

herbs of your choice - I used 1 tbs dried oregano and 2 tbs lightly dried parsley (or use fresh)

lots of pepper and at least 2 tsp of sea salt

olive oil - start with 1 tbs in the frypan and go from there


Method:


First grate the potatoes and onions in a food processor on a coarse blade; you will have to do this in a few batches

Tip into a large mixing bowl

Add the finely chopped garlic, chillies and herbs

Season well with salt and pepper 

Mix gently but firmly together

Put the olive oil into a large frypan and heat up

Place spoonfuls of the potato mixture into the pan, and level it out till no more than 1 cm. thick

Fry for about 6 minutes on a medium heat without stirring till you have a nice golden crust on the bottom

Flip it over and cook for another 4-5 minutes

Now transfer to a lightly oiled, shallow baking tray

Keep frying the potato in batches till it is all done; you will need to add a little more oil each time you fry up the next batch

Spread out over the tray(s) till it is about 1 cm. thick

Bake for about 25-30 minutes @ 220C till golden brown


Notes:


No need to peel the spuds if they are washed

You will need 2 baking trays 

Try breaking an egg or 2 on top of the potatoes for the last 5 minutes of baking

By the time you get to the last lot of mixture for frying, there will be a lot of liquid in the bottom.  Throw it into a colander and strain it out before shallow frying

potatoes and onions gleaming in the sun  

gather your ingredients 

chop up the onions for blitzing

tip everything into a large bowl

Mr P. looking after the potato mix 

spread it out onto a lightly oiled baking tray

we broke some eggs on top and baked them for the last 5 mins. 

served with cranberry relish and chopped up turkey

I actually made this dish twice.  The first time was without the eggs and turkey.  I served it plain with tomato relish, as you can see below. The second time I got a bit creative; as I had left-over turkey, and cranberry relish from the Christmas in July dinner we had had with my sister and nephew, I added that to the plate.  It was damn fine, I tell you.  You could have all sorts of meat with it, and whatever relish you fancy.  Ah, I just remembered - I have beetroot relish in the pantry....

the first version of this dish - with tomato relish

my chilli doodle