Roesti (swiss-style Potato Cake) Recipe

This is a favorite dish of German-speaking Switzerland. Besides being
served as a side dish with meat or fish, it is sometimes eaten on its own,
for lunch or even breakfast, with milky coffee.

The potatoes should be boiled in their jackets the day before. These should
be waxy potatoes of the potato-salad kind. The next day, peel them and
grate them on the coarsest blade of the grater. Heat a large heavy frying
pan, and let the fat get hot: then put in the potatoes, sprinkle with salt,
and fry, turning them constantly. When they have soaked up the butter or
whatever, add more. Now form a “cake” by pushing the potatoes from the
edges of the pan into the middle and flattening down the top. Sprinkle with
the water or milk, reduce heat, and cover with a lid or inverted dish.
Shake the covered pan occasionally to keep the potatoes from burning, and
leave on low heat for at least 15 minutes. The potatoes must stick
together, but not to the bottom of the pan. When cooked, turn the cake out
onto a plate, bottom side up, and serve. (Or alternately, brown the other
side as well.) . Variations: (1) Saute 2 T chopped onions in the fat before
adding thte potatoes. Don’t let them brown. Also note that in this version,
the potatoes will need less fat. (2) Saute 2 – 3 1/2 oz. diced bacon before
adding potatoes. You won’t need any extra salt. (3) Sprinkle cooked
potatoes with grated cheese before serving, and heat it briefly in the oven
to melt it.