An Easy Brunch Dish from the Swiss Alps
Before leaving for the tour I had heard, from those who had gone before, of the Rosti. The Rosti was some sort of a potato and cheese concoction topped with an egg — reported to be most satisfying after a long tour. Well, once I tried the rosti, I loved the concept — what a great, easy dish to serve for breakfast or brunch.
On the third day of our tour across the haute route, we were heading to the Paraflueri hut, and on the trail I heard the guides buzzing about ze rosti. I think I skied a little faster that morning.
The Parafleuri Hut was one of the more delightful. The Mademoiselle keeps a clean and bright hut and she is an expert at creating ze rosti!!
The foundation of our first rosti came in a package — which included some mystery ingredients that didn’t quite agree with us. In our recipe we use simply potatoes.
Having left around 6am, we arrived at the Parafleuri hut in the early afternoon, with plenty of time to enjoy the sunshine on the deck, and watch (and rate) the arrivals of the the rest of the groups. This day was one of the best as far as enjoying the hut culture.
here is the view from our room,
here is our room.
This is one of the larger rooms.
As we continued on our trek we learned the rules of the rosti — you must order for your group, so they can make one large serving. This is what makes this dish so great for entertaining at home.
There are many variations to the rosti — the “Rosti Cabane” (rosti of the hut) usually included potatoes, cheese, ham or bacon, dried onions (they are way up in the mountains),
and sometimes a sprinkling of herbs.
The possibilities are endless, you can add all of your favorite ingredients atop this crispy potato pie!
We found it to be very satisfying with a frosty glass of the village fendant wine.
Here’s our basic recipe for a rosti, the ingredients are per person, expand accordingly. Use this as a base, don’t hesitate to add your favorites to the top or mixed in with the potatoes.
Ingredients
1 clove garlic
1 tablespoon chopped raw bacon (we used Citterio “cubetti” pancetta from Trader Joe’s)
2+ tablespoons olive oil
3/4 cup shredded potatoes (we used Simply Potatoes – in the green package, usually found in the meat refrigerator)
1 slice of a Swiss cheese, cut into small pieces (we used Gruyere. Raclette or Emmental would be good too)
1 egg
1 tablespoon chopped fresh chives and parsley
Make the rosti in an appropriate sized skillet for the quantity. Have a serving platter or plate on hand on which the rosti will fit (so it should be a little larger than the skillet).
Preparation
Add the bacon to the pan and saute over medium high heat. When they are about 3/4 of the way finished add the chopped garlic. Saute until the garlic is just becoming soft. Reserve garlic and bacon.
Add 1 tablespoon olive oil to pan, allow it to warm. Add shredded potatoes to the pan and lightly pat into a flat, round cake.
When the bottom of the potatoes are brown, turn off the heat. Put the serving platter on top of the pan and using hot pads, flip the pan over to turn the potato cake.
Turn the heat back to medium high, add another tablespoon of olive oil and allow it to warm. Slide the potatoes into the pan, golden side up.
Top the potatoes with the pieces of cheese and cover the pan to allow it to melt.
When the cheese has melted and the potatoes are golden brown on the bottom, slide the rosti onto the serving platter.
Add a little more olive oil to the pan and crack the egg(s) in the pan. When frying multiple eggs, use the shells to hold the whites together for a few seconds so they don’t run together. Flip eggs depending upon desired doneness.
Place eggs on top of the potatoes. Sprinkle on the bacon and garlic and the chopped herbs.
Serve immediately!
Rosti — Perfect Brunch Dish From The Swiss Alps
This look delicious! You must have had an amazing time on this trip. The view, the experience and the food – oh my goodness!