Rosti from Switzerland

The Swiss have perfected rostis.  Rosti means crisp and golden and that's exactly how you want your rosti to come out.  Rostis are crisp on the outside and soft in the middle.

3 medium-sized potatoes
1 1/2 teaspoons salt
1/2 teaspoon black pepper
4 tablespoons melted butter
3 tablespoons oil for frying
Par-boil the potatoes until half cooked.  They must be firm and not soft.  Grate the potatoes using the large hole part of the grater.  Add in the salt and pepper.  There must be no liquid in the bowl.  You can make one large rosti and then cut it into quarter when cooked, or make 4 small rostis.  Put the oil into a frying pan and when the oil is hot add in handfuls of the shredded potato mixture, using a fork to distribute it evenly until it is about 1.5 cm thick.  Press the potato shreds down firmly.  You might need to turn the heat down now so that it is just sizzling.  Cook for about 12 minutes until the underside is a deep golden brown and the top is beginning to get translucent.  If you are making a large one, slide it off onto a dinner plate, put another dinner plate on top of it.  Turn it over and slide it back into the frying pan to cook the other side.  Cook this side for about 8 minutes until the bottom is golden brown.  If you are making small rostis then you can turn them over individually with the spatula.  You can serve them with smoked salmon, sour cream and chives or Zurich-style veal.  In fact, use them as extra-tasty hash browns and serve them for breakfast with a fried egg.
Cindy Vine is a South African currently working in Kyiv Ukraine.  She's the author of Hush Baby, Defective, Not Telling, C U @ 8 and The Case of Billy B.  All her books are available on Amazon in both print and Kindle format.  http://cindyvine.com