Swiss Rösti and Poached Eggs |
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Prep Time: 0 Minutes Cook Time: 0 Minutes |
Ready In: 0 Minutes Servings: 1 |
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Potatoes are, without doubt, my favorite vegetable. You can keep your squashes and artichokes, your fennel and snow peas, your kohlrabi and endive just as long as I have my potatoes. After all, according to A. A. Milne, If a fellow really likes potatoes, he must be a pretty decent sort of fellow. But what's so good about potatoes? In a word: versatility. Once you think you know every way that you can cook a potato, another one comes along, and the Swiss rösti stretches the possibilities of the mighty tuber even further. I fell in love with its great blend of 'tato textures: crispy on the inside, creamy in the middle, it makes an ideal hungover breakfast with poached eggs on top. The best way to prepare the potatoes is to boil them in their skins the night before and place them, unpeeled, in an airtight container in the fridge, for use up to 24 hours later. But if you haven't been able to organize this, just leave them to cool down for at least 30 minutes before grating them. A word of warning: watch those shaky hands with wobbly poached eggs! Ingredients:
1 1/4 lb white potatoes (about 4 medium to large spuds) |
2 garlic cloves, finely minced |
salt and black pepper |
1 1/2 tbsp unsalted butter |
glug of olive oil |
4 free-range eggs |
1 tsp white wine vinegar, for poaching egg |
Directions:
1. Milton's Method Scrub the potatoes and place them, with their skins still on, in a large pan filled with cold, salted water. Bring to a boil and cook for about 10 minutes (they should become slightly more tender but remain firm), then drain and allow them to cool for at least 30 minutes.
2. Peel the potatoes, then coarsely grate them into a bowl with a hand grater, adding plenty of seasoning and the minced cloves of garlic. Make sure the garlic and seasoning are evenly distributed.
3. Melt the butter and olive oil in a large, non-stick frying pan. When the pan is hot, add the potato. Cook for five minutes over fairly high heat. When the underside begins to turn golden, flip the mixture over (it won't stick together at this stage), then, using a metal slice, divide it into four roughly circular cakes, about an inch deep, in the pan.
4. Press each cake down slightly with the slice and cook for a further five minutes on high heat, then flip them over (the potato should now be sticking together) and turn down the heat to low-medium. Cook gently for another 10 minutes on each side, checking occasionally to make sure that the potato does not burn.
5. About five minutes before your rösti is ready, heat some salted water in a saucepan with the vinegar, for poaching the eggs. The temperature is right when there are little bubbles slowly rising to the surface; the water should not be boiling vigorously. Break the eggs into the water and cook on low to medium heat for 45 minutes for a soft-poached egg.
6. Divide the rösti between two plates. Drain the eggs using a slotted spoon, rinse under a little cold water, then drain once more, and place an egg on each rösti. Season with salt and freshly ground pepper and serve.
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