Potatoes Rosti is a traditional Swiss-German breakfast dish made from coarsely grated potatoes pan-fried until deeply golden and crisp on the outside, while remaining soft and tender within. Seasoned simply with salt, pepper and butter, it’s the ancestor of our Southern hash browns—only taken a notch higher.
Rösti literally translates to crisp and golden, and this method ensures it lives up to the name. With just a bit more attention during cooking, the result reaches what I call a world-class standard of excellence.
Making Potatoes Rösti
There are two keys to creating potatoes rösti. The first is using a griddle to heat the pan instead of a standard burner. A griddle provides smooth, even heat across the entire surface, eliminating hot spots and producing a uniformly golden, crisp pancake. The second is low-and-slow cooking. It gives the potatoes the time they need to have that perfect crispy mailllard reaction, yet retain that soft, creamy interior.
Peel and trim one side of each potato with a chef’s knife to create a flat side. Place the potatoes in cold water. Dry and shred them one by one, lengthwise on a mandolin to yield long, uniform strings. This should yield between 1.5 and 1.75 pounds of shredded potatoes.
Dry the shredded potato strings on a kitchen towel with paper towels. Place 2 tablespoons of clarified butter in a bowl, then add the potatoes and toss them with salt and pepper for seasoning.
Place 2 tablespoons of butter in a 10” non-stick pan and load the pan with the potatoes. Pat them down to a uniform thickness and use a spatula to “tuck” in all the edges.
Place the pan on a griddle @400 and drizzle 1 tablespoon of butter around the edges. Use a spatula to keep the potatoes smooth and round as they slowly cook until crisped golden brown on the bottom – about 10-15 minutes. Listen for the gentle sizzle. Do not cover the pan, you want the water in the potatoes to evaporate.
Lightly smear clarified butter on the underside of a large flat pot lid (large enough to cover the skillet). Tilt the pan and spoon out any excess butter, then cover with the pot top and carefully flip. Slide the potatoes back into the pan on the griddle.
Drizzle 1 more tablespoon of butter around the potatoes. Tuck the edges again and finish cooking them, listening for the low sizzle until golden brown on the bottom – about 6-7 minutes
Slide carefully onto a cutting board, cut into 6 pizza slices, garnish with coarse salt and serve.
Potatoes Rosti
Shredded potatoes seasoned and fried in butter
- Prep Time: 15
- Cook Time: 30
- Total Time: 45 minutes
- Yield: 6 servings 1x
Ingredients
- 2 lbs gold potatoes
- 5–6 TBL clarified butter
- 3/4 tsp sea salt
- 1/2 tsp fresh ground black pepper
- Coarse salt – finishing garnish
Instructions
- Peel, trim one side with a chef’s knife to create a flat side and place the potatoes in cold water. This should yield between 1.5 and 1.75 pounds of shredded potatoes
- Dry and shred them one by one, lengthwise on a mandolin to yield long strings of potato
- Dry the shredded potato strings on a kitchen towel with paper towels. Place 2 tablespoons of clarified butter in a bowl, then add the potatoes and toss them with salt and pepper for seasoning
- Place 1 tablespoon of butter in a 10” non-stick pan and load the pan with the potatoes forming them into a circle covering the bottom of the pan. Use your fingers to firmly pat them down to a uniform thickness and use a spatula to “tuck” in all the edges
- Place the pan on a griddle (not directly on a burner) @400 and drizzle 1 tablespoon of butter around the edges. Use a spatula to keep the potatoes smooth and round as they slowly cook until crisped on the bottom to a golden brown – about 10 minutes. Listen for the gentle sizzle. Do not cover the pan, you want the water in the potatoes to evaporate and escape
- Lightly smear clarified butter on the underside of a large flat pot lid (large enough to cover the skillet). Tilt the pan and spoon out any excess butter, then cover with the pot top and carefully flip. Slide the potatoes back into the non-stick pan on the griddle
- Drizzle 1 more tablespoon of butter around the potatoes. Tuck the edges again and finish cooking them, listening for the low sizzle until golden brown on the bottom – about 6-7 minutes
- Slide carefully onto a cutting board, cut into 6 pizza slices, garnish with coarse salt and serve
