Valaisian Rösti (Roesti)

Valaisian Rösti (Roesti)
Rösti is a traditional Swiss dish of fried grated potatoes, a little like a hash brown. The recipe I have chosen is more of a main dish rather than a traditional side dish. Try this with a salad and soft poached or sunny side up egg.
(Serves 4)


Ingredients:
1kg / 2.2lbs of potatoes, boiled in their jackets the day before
2 to 3 tablespoons of butter
1 to 2 medium onions
1 to 2 sliced tomatoes
Raclette cheese (or any other well melting cheese, ask me about trying Mont Vully or Prima Donna)
salt to taste


Preparation and cooking:
In this recipe you can choose to either make one large Rösti or 4 individual ones.


Peel the cooked potatoes and grate them through a coarse grater.


Slice the onions into thin wedges.


Melt the butter (do not use oil) in a non-stick frying pan


Add the onions and sweat them until they look glassy and transparent.


Add the grated potatoes and the salt and stir through.


Fry while continuously stirring for about 3 to 5 minutes.


Press together to form a flat cake (easiest if you are just doing one big Rösti)


Fry over medium heat until there is a golden crust on the bottom.


Once the Rösti has cooked; place sliced tomatoes and some Raclette cheese (or any other well melting salty cheese) over the top.


When the cheese has melted, serve with the Rösti on the bottom, so don’t flip!


Variations
These are more of the traditional side dishes.


Bernese Rösti: Add bacon, cut in small strips.


Basilean Rösti: Use half sliced onions and half potatoes.
In each of these variations when the Rösti has a golden crust on the bottom place a serving platter on the pan and turn the pan upside down, so the Rösti falls on the platter with the crust on top. (This is my method!)


For those who are a little more adventuresome or coordinated than I, toss the Rösti into the air and flip it like a pancake back into the pan, then slide it onto the serving platter and serve immediately. (Good luck with this method and let me know if you were successful in your attempt!)