Last night I made the Swiss potato dish called rosti. It’s basically shredded potatoes cooked in a cake in a saute pan, flipped halfway through. I first had it in Zurich many years ago and it gave me one more way to love a potato!
When I told my husband I made his favorite potatoes, he said they weren’t, they were his SECOND favorite! His favorite is scalloped potatoes. And I know that these are his favorites because he doesn’t put ketchup on them! Well, he knows I’ll stop cooking for him if he does so, and he has become more accustomed to liking the flavors of the foods I cook rather than drowning them in ketchup or steak sauce as he does at a diner.
ROSTI
Yesterday I used small white creamer potatoes that I was going to boil, a small expensive bag that I just rinsed and dried. Right before I cooked them I put them through the large grater of a food processor (skins and all) and placed them on a clean kitchen towel and wrung them out then put them in a large bowl. Don’t use your favorite tea towel for this as if you don’t rinse it right away it may discolor.
Add salt and pepper. I added one thinly sliced scallion and a sprinkling of cayenne. Heat the oil (don’t use butter) or bacon fat, yes I used some for flavor on medium heat. Have your pan lid ready. Dump the potatoes into the hot saute pan, assure that they’re even and you might pull them away from the sides a bit. Right now you want to steam the potatoes so for 15 minutes on medium heat, keep the lid on and wipe the inside with a clean tea towel every couple of minutes so condensation doesn’t make the potatoes watery.
I’m doing timing for four people, so then take off the lid and flip the potatoes. Go for it if you will, or use a plate to transfer and definitely add more oil if you don’t have a non-stick pan. Finish cooking over slightly higher heat. Remove to a platter, cut in quarters and serve. Without ketchup.
SCALLOPED POTATOES
I use russets for this and slice them on the thin blade of my food processor. They’re peeled, of course. Have your baking pan rubbed with a clove of garlic, buttered and salt and pepper and cream, half and half or milk handy.
Place in your first layer of potatoes, salt and pepper, milk/cream, a second or perhaps third layer and top with dots of butter. Make sure it’s not swimming in cream. Place on a baking sheet to guard against oven spills and into a hot oven, 450 if your oven is true to temperature for 45 minutes to an hour. You want the top browned and liquid sizzling, and the potatoes to be cooked through.
Make sure everyone get a piece of the crusty top.
SLICING CUCUMBERS
One of the first recipes I posted here was my grandmother’s German recipe for cucumber salad, something my father loves to this day. Last night I saw Jacques Pepin make a salad by peeling a European cucumber, then using a sharp vegetable peeler to peel down slices until you hit the seeds, on all four sides. It makes for lovely ribbons. Yesterday I used a bit of sherry vinegar instead of the apple cider vinegar that his mother used. Delicious!
Hope you’re having a great day. It’s snowing here and will for the next few days. Enjoy Spring while you can! Dee
Cooking with Dee 