John Torode's Rösti Recipe

Taken from John Torode's My Kind of Food. Photography ©Yuki Sugiura

Ingredients

For the Greek salad:

• 75ml extra virgin olive oil
• 25ml red wine vinegar
• 200g feta cheese, diced
• 1 small cucumber, de-seeded and diced
• handful of flat-leaf parsley leaves
• 100g large pitted green olives, squashed with the flat of your hand
• 3 large plum tomatoes, roughly chopped

For the rösti:

• 2 large roasting potatoes, peeled and coarsely grated
• 1 small onion, sliced
• 500ml boiling water from the kettle
• 2 thyme sprigs, leaves picked
• 50g butter, melted
• 2tbsp vegetable oil

Method

1. To make the Greek salad, whisk the oil and vinegar until you have a smooth dressing. Mix all the remaining bits for the salad in a bowl, toss with the dressing and set aside to mature while you make the rösti.

2. To make the rösti, mix the grated potatoes and onions in a mixing bowl. Pour over 500ml boiling water from the kettle and leave the mixture to sit for 2 minutes, then drain. This softens the potatoes and washes out any excess starch. Press it down to get rid of any extra water, then season really well and stir in the thyme and melted butter.

3. Take a large deep frying pan (or two smaller ones) and heat the oil. Drop the potato mix into the pan and use a spatula to flatten it out like a pancake. Keep the heat low and cook for 5 minutes, at least. The edges should start to brown and if you shake the pan the potato should move around. When it’s brown, turn the rösti over to cook the other side for about another 5 minutes or so – it should be golden brown and crisp on the outside but fluffy inside. Serve topped with some of the Greek salad and plenty more on the side.