Garlic & Rosemary Potato Rosti
Golden, crispy potato rosti flavoured with fresh garlic & rosemary! This pan fried Swiss potato dish has a fluffy centre & can be served at breakfast, lunch or dinner.
For those unfamiliar with potato rosti, these are a traditional Swiss side dish that’s made by mixing coarsely grated potatoes with melted butter. This mix is then fried in a pan with more butter, to make a thick potato cake that has a crispy, golden exterior & a fluffy inside. Traditionally potato rosti would be served with a runny fried egg, with smoked fish, Swiss cheese or bacon. However, they’re good with pretty much anything & can be eaten with any meal (although maybe not dessert!).
Potato rosti are one of my favourite potato side dishes & they couldn’t be easier to make! Although they may look like they’d be tricky to make, it’s pretty much just a case of mixing grated potatoes with melted butter then frying the mix in a pan. Although there’s a few handy tips & tricks included in this recipe, to make the crispest, most flavourful rosti possible!
For this recipe, I chose to cook my rosti mix in individual frying pans, to give them the perfect round shape & a generous portion size. Although traditionally, this Swiss potato dish would be cooked in a large pan then cut into wedges to serve, I prefer to make them this way. It’s the way I used to do it when I worked as a chef. However I’ve included instructions for both cooking methods, so you can cook yours however you like!
For more side dishes to try, take a look at our collection of sides! And for a main course to serve with your potato rosti, check out our ever growing collection of dinner recipes.
What You’ll Need
- Potatoes – I like to use Maris Pipers for potato rosti but other varieties of waxy & floury potatoes will work as well. I’ve explained how different potato varieties affect the texture of the cooked rosti further down this post.
- Ghee/Butter – Using ghee is best as it contains less water than butter. This makes for a crispier rosti! That being said, regular butter will work as well & your rosti will still be really good!
- Garlic – I added fresh garlic into my rosti mix. As we know, garlic & potatoes work fantastically together so this was always going to be a winner! I’ve added enough to give the rosti a fairly mild flavour so feel free to add in more than what’s specified if you’d prefer a stronger taste.
- Rosemary – Fresh rosemary & garlic are a classic pairing! We’re adding a generous amount of finely chopped rosemary to the grated potato before cooking.
Garlic & Rosemary Potato Rosti Mix
Potato rosti are made with a mix of grated potato, melted butter & seasoning (plus any flavourings). That’s it! The key thing when prepping the rosti mix is to grate the potatoes on the coarse side of a grater then wrap them in a tea towel & use it to squeeze as much water out of them as possible. Don’t be tempted to skip this step, as your rosti won’t be as crisp or as flavourful.
When it comes to adding flavourings to a potato rosti, it’s best to keep things simple. Traditionally, potato rosti are simply seasoned with salt & pepper. However, for this recipe I’ve added some finely chopped rosemary & grated garlic into the mix. If you choose to add in something else, make sure that it’s not something that will affect how the rosti cooks (i.e adds moisture, which would make the rosti less crisp). If you’re adding something like crispy bacon, caramelised onions or grated cheese, it’s best to place them into the middle of the rosti, sandwiched between layers of grated potato.
The Best Way To Cook Potato Rosti
The ideal thickness for a potato rosti is between 1-2 cm, as this ensures that the inside will be properly cooked by the time the outside is crisp & golden brown. For this recipe, I chose to use 5 inch wide individual frying pans, which gives them rostis the perfect round shape & the ideal thickness. However, you can also cook the potato in one big frying pan, as long as the thickness is the same.
To keep it short, the best way to cook a potato rosti is in ghee (or butter) over a medium low heat. This ensures that the rosti will be crisp & golden by the time the potato is cooked & vice versa. As long as you keep the thickness of your rosti between 1-2cm, you’ll cook perfect rostis every single time!
- First, set your frying pans over a medium-low heat then add a heaped teaspoon of ghee (or butter) into each one then let it melt & heat up.
- Next, spoon enough rosti mix into each pan to fill them up 3 quarters of the way full.
- As soon as the pans are full of the grated potato, use a spatula to press it into an even layer. This step is key to making the rostis hold their shape once they’re cooked!
- Cook the rostis for around 10-12 minutes, until the underneath is crisp & golden brown. Use a spatula/palette knife to lift the rosti up to check the underneath.
- Once the underside is ready, flip each rosti over then cook for another 10-12 minutes.
- Transfer the cooked rostis to a wire cooling rack set over a tray then leave to drain for a minute or so. This gets rid of any excess butter.
- Season with sea salt then serve whilst the rostis are still hot & crispy!
Serving Suggestions
Potato rosti are a super versatile dish & are most commonly served as a side dish or as part of a lunch, brunch or breakfast. I served mine with a fried egg, honey glazed halloumi, smashed avocado & my homemade bacon jam, as a lunch dish! Though, to be honest you can serve these rosti with pretty much anything. Whether it’s with a steak or a piece pan fried fish, topped with poached or fried eggs, inside a breakfast sandwich (think bacon, sausage & eggs!) and loads more…
Tips, Tricks & Troubleshooting
- Grate your potatoes on the coarse side of a box grater. This is the ideal size for potato rosti! If the potato is too fine, you’ll end up with mashed potato. If it’s too coarse, the rosti won’t hold it’s shape.
- For the crispiest potato rosti, make sure to squeeze as much water out of the grated potato as possible. Wrapping them in a tea towel makes this step a lot easier.
- Use ghee in the potato mix & to cook the rosti. This is clarified butter so contains less water. This makes the rosti even crispier!
- Cook your rosti over a medium-low heat. If the heat is too high, the inside of your rosti won’t be cooked. If the heat is too low, the rosti won’t crisp up properly.
- Season your potato mix well; rostis can take a fair bit of seasoning! I also like to finish them with a pinch of sea salt.
Frequently Asked Questions
To cook potato rosti on an Aga, use the simmering plate. They’ll be enough room on the simmering plate to cook all of the rostis at once!
Both waxy & floury potatoes will work for potato rosti. Waxy potatoes will make rosti that have visible strands of potato inside & they’ll have a slightly firmer shape. Floury potatoes make rosti that have a fluffier inside (like mashed potato). I like to use an all rounder potato like a Maris Piper for the best of both type!
Once cooked, potato rosti will be crisp & golden brown on both sides. If you’ve not par cooked the potatoes before grating, you’ll need to cook your rosti until the inside is tender. To test this, insert a knife into the middle. It should go in with no resistance once cooked.
The best way to reheat potato rosti is by baking them in a 200°c/392°f oven for 10-15 minutes, until crisp & piping hot.
More Side Dishes To Try!
- Roasted Garlic Mashed Potato Casserole
- Goose Fat Roasted Crushed New Potatoes
- Smashed Cucumber & Cashew Salad
- Honey Butter Buttermilk Cornbread
- Fondant Potatoes
- Pizza Oven Garlic Bread With Burrata
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Garlic & Rosemary Potato Rosti
Equipment
- Large Mixing Bowl
- Box Grater
- Microplane/Grater
- 4 5" Frying Pans (See Notes)
Ingredients
- 1 kg Maris Piper Potatoes (Peeled Weight – See Notes)
- 100 g Ghee (Or Unsalted Butter)
- 3 Garlic Cloves (Grated)
- 1 tsp Finely Chopped Rosemary
- 1½ tsp Fine Sea Salt
- ½ tsp Freshly Cracked Black Pepper
To Cook
- 4 tsp Ghee
Instructions
Potato Mix
- Peel the potatoes then use a box grater to grate them.Use the coarse side of the grater. The one that you'd grate cheese with!
- Place a tea towel onto your work surface, place the grated potatoes on top then wrap the tea towel around the potatoes. Give the tea towel a twist to wring & squeeze as much water out of the potatoes as possible then place them into a large mixing bowl.Squeeze the potato water down the sink or into a separate bowl.
- Next, melt the ghee (either on the stove or in the microwave) then pour over the potatoes. Add in the grated garlic, chopped rosemary, salt & pepper then give the mix a good stir, to combine.
Cooking
- Set 4, 5" individual frying pans (or a similar size) over a medium-low heat, leave it heat up for 2 minutes then add a heaped teaspoon of ghee (or butter) into each pan.
- Once the butter has melted, divide the rosti mix between the pans, gently pressing the potato down with a spatula, to make an even layer. Each pan should be around ¾ full.See the post above for a visual guide on this!
- Cook the each rosti for 10-12 minutes until the underside is crisp & a deep golden brown. To check, carefully lift a rosti up with a spatula (or palette knife) after around 8 minutes.
- Next, flip each rosti over then cook for another 10-12 minutes until the other side is crisp & golden brown as well. Then once cooked, transfer each rosti to a wire cooling rack that's set over a baking tray.
- Let the rostis sit for a minute then season with sea salt & serve whilst they're still hot & crispy.This step lets any excess butter drain off!
