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Rösti with Bacon and Onions

Source of Recipe

From "Cold-Weather Cooking" by Sarah Leah Chase


Recipe Introduction

"During my first year away at boarding school I had an outgoing roommate with a flamboyant French father, an elegant Canadian mother and a ski chalet in Vermont. During my first ski weekend with her, Mother Boyer treated us to the spectacular Swiss potato pancake known as rösti. I have never forgotten how delicious it tasted and am delighted to give a recipe in this book. While there are several variations of rösti, this one—with bacon and onions—is the version popular in the Swiss capital of Bern."

List of Ingredients

â—¦ 6 medium russet potatoes, unpeeled
â—¦ 1 pound sliced bacon
â—¦ 1 medium-size red onion, minced
â—¦ Salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste
â—¦ 4 tablespoons (½ stick) unsalted butter
â—¦ 2 tablespoons vegetable oil


Recipe

Bring a pot of salted water to a boil. Add the potatoes and cook over medium heat 15 minutes. (The potatoes will still be quite firm in the centers.) Drain the potatoes and rinse under cold water. Drain again and refrigerate at least 3 hours or overnight.

Place the bacon in a large skillet and cook over medium heat until crisp, 15 to 20 minutes. Drain on paper towels, then crumble the bacon.

Peel the chilled potatoes. In a food processor fitted with the shredding disk or on the large holes of a handheld grater, shred the potatoes. In a mixing bowl, toss the potatoes with the bacon, onion, salt, and pepper.

Heat 2 tablespoons of the butter and 1 tablespoon of the oil in a 12-inch nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Add the potato mixture, spread it evenly over the pan, and press it down firmly with a metal spatula. Cook over medium heat until the underside is golden brown, 12 to 15 minutes.

To flip the pancake, remove the skillet from the heat, invert a large heatproof plate over the skillet, and using potholders, unmold it onto the plate. Add the remaining butter and oil to the skillet and heat over medium-high heat. Slide the pancake back into the skillet, uncooked side down. Continue cooking and pressing down with the spatula until the underside is golden, 10 to 12 minutes more. Slide the pancake onto a heated platter. Cut it into wedges and serve at once.

Makes 6 to 8 side dish servings