Market Stall · Fried Potato Cake

Rösti

Photo: Geoffrey Moffett / Unsplash · Unsplash License

Swiss cooks still argue over whether to grate the potatoes raw or boiled, and each camp produces a noticeably different crust.

Rösti starts with raw or parboiled potatoes grated coarsely, then pressed into a hot buttered pan and fried until a crackling golden crust forms on both sides. Market stalls and winter food huts sell wedges of it in paper trays, often topped with a fried egg, bacon, or melted cheese for an easy handheld meal.

Why it's made this way: Originally a farmer's breakfast from the canton of Bern, rösti became so identified with German-speaking Switzerland that the invisible cultural boundary separating it from French-speaking regions is jokingly called the "Röstigraben."