Rösti: the super easy recipe for making crispy potato rosti

We love potatoes in all types of forms. So potatoes for breakfast sounds like a great idea! This recipe for crispy potato rösti can be served on its own with your favorite dipping sauce, or make it a complete breakfast meal by adding a fried egg and bacon. In fact, this easy Swiss recipe will be perfect for breakfast, brunch, or a side dish.

Unlike Latkes, which have a thicker texture, potato rösti is thin with a crispy texture. They’re quick to make too. You simply mix together grated potato, eggs, and the seasonings, and fry in hot oil until crispy! If you love these potatoes, you’ll love this potato rösti recipe!

Potato Rosti vs Hashbrowns vs Latkes

They might look and taste similar, but there are slight differences between potato rösti, hashbrowns, and latkes.

Hashbrowns are probably the most popular in the US as a breakfast item. They consist of shredded (or sometimes diced) potatoes which are fried until golden. The texture is somewhat loose, with visible ‘potato shreds’.

Potato rösti is similar to a hashbrown, but instead of a loose texture, potato rösti is tightly packed into a pancake form and then fried until crispy. In Switzerland, it’s often served with a fried egg on top.

Latkes are sometimes called potato pancakes. Potatoes are either grated or mashed, then mixed with flour and a binding ingredient like eggs. Once cooked, they look like a pancake with a similar texture.

Rösti Ingredients

Potatoes – you can use any potato you like; floury potatoes will have a fluffier texture, while waxy potatoes will be slightly crispier.

Eggs – don’t leave out the eggs, they act as a binding agent.

Herbs – parsley add flavor.

Spring onion – can be substituted with finely diced red onion.

Oil – use a neutral oil suitable for frying at higher temperatures like canola, peanut, sunflower, or Corn Oil.

How To Make Rösti

Prepare the potatoes. Grate them on the coarse side of a cheese grater. Use your hands or a clean tea towel to squeeze the grated potatoes. This will remove the excess water to create a nice and crispy rösti. Place the grated potato in a bowl and add the remaining ingredients. Mix with a spatula until all ingredients are well with the spatula.

Drop spoonsful of the mixture in hot oil and fry until golden. Instead of individual sizes, you can also make one large potato rösti. Once cooked, slice the rösti into slices. Serve the fritters with yogurt or your favorite dipping sauce.

Tips For Making Crispy Potato Rösti

If the rösti is falling apart and not sticking together, you can add a bit of flour to help them stick.

The potato rösti can also be made in the oven. Drop spoonsful of the potato rösti on top of a greased baking sheet. Bake at 400°F until golden, turning halfway.

If you’re making a large batch of potato rösti, you can keep them warm in the oven.

Make the potato rösti vegan, by leaving out the eggs, and adding a few tablespoons of olive oil.

What To Serve with Potato Rösti

Serve potato rösti as a starchy side dish to roast chicken or another meaty main.

You can also enjoy potato rosti for breakfast or brunch. Simply place a fried egg and crispy fried bacon on top.

How To Store Rösti

Store leftover potato rösti in the fridge for up to 3 days. Reheat in the oven to retain crispiness.

Instructions

Grate the potatoes on the coarse side of a cheese grater. Squeeze the grated potatoes to remove excess water.

Place the potato in a bowl and add the egg. Add the parsley, spring onion, sweet paprika, coriander, salt, pepper, and cornstarch.

Mix well with the spatula.

Add spoonful of the mixture to a pan with hot oil. Flatten the mixture slightly with the back of a spoon. Cook for a few minutes until the bottom of the fritters starts to brown.

Flip them over, and continue to fry until cooked through.

Serve the fritters with the yogurt. Enjoy!

Notes

The potato rösti does need oil to get a nice golden color. For even frying, skip the non-stick skillet, and use a heavy-bottomed cast iron skillet instead.