In case you missed last week’s Kitchen Diaries post, check it out here.
If like me you purchased enormous sums of potatoes in December in the anticipation of roasting them for every meal, you probably have a large amount left. And while I do love roast potatoes, there’s only so many times I can eat it. As a result, we’re making use of our supply and making potato rösti with poached eggs and a delicious avocado relish.
Rösti or rööschti is a Swiss dish consisting mainly of potatoes, sautéed or shallow-fried in a pan. It was originally a breakfast dish, commonly eaten by farmers in the canton of Bern, but is now eaten all over Switzerland and around the world.
Ingredients
For the Potato rösti:
250 g floury potatoes peeled
1 tsp salt
6-8 tbsp vegetable or sunflower oil
For the eggs:
2 eggs
1 tbsp vinegar malt, white wine or cider
For the Avocado relish:
1 avocado ripe
4 cherry tomatoes
½ spring onion
¼ lime
¼ tsp chilli flakes
Salt & pepper
Method
To Make Rosti:
Peel and coarsely grate the potatoes. Place them into a clean tea towel, make a tight ball and squeeze as much moisture out as you possibly can. Tip the grates into a large bowl. Add the salt and mix well.
Heat two large non-stick frying pans with 2 tbsp of oil in each on medium heat. Add a 1 tbsp of potatoes to form 6-8 rösti. Press them down with a spatula.
Fry for approx 4 minutes, don't move them around, or they will fall apart. Before you attempt to flip them, check that they are crispy enough to lift up. Then flip them and fry for another 4 minutes, or until cooked through, golden brown and crispy on both sides.
Make Avocado Relish:
De-stone and peel the ripe avocado and place in a bowl with lime juice all over it. Using a fork, mash the avocado to the desired consistency. Add the finely chopped tomatoes, spring onion and chilli flakes. Season and mix.
Poach the Eggs:
Bring water to a boil in a large pan. Add a tablespoon of vinegar. Reduce the heat until it's simmering, but not at a rolling boil. Crack two eggs into a glass or a cup, making sure the yolks remain intact (if you're making more than two eggs, use more cups with no more than two eggs per cup). Using a spoon, swirl the simmering water to create a whirlpool with one hand and then swiftly drop the eggs from the glass into a centre of your vortex with another hand. Be quick.
Keep the water simmering, otherwise the eggs might stick to the bottom of the pan.
After about 3 minutes, or when the white of your egg looks cooked (not translucent), remove it from the pan using a slotted spoon.
Serve the 5-6 stacked rösti with some avocado relish topped with a poached egg with a runny yolk.
Remember that the beauty of these recipes is that you can 100% change them up. If you don’t like avocado, use smoked salmon or asparagus. If you don’t like poached eggs, why not have hard boiled or scrambled instead.