Shredded potato Rösti is a dish that hails from picture-perfect Switzerland, yet it feels strangely familiar to me. I guess it’s because it’s very similar to my dad’s all time favourite – Polish potato pancakes (“placki ziemniaczane”), which you may know as “latkes”. Both these dishes are quite similar in terms of simple, everyday ingredients and the preparation method. What I like about rösti though is that it allows you to go easy on the oil if you feel that way inclined (frying good, crispy “latkes” on that little oil is a challenge) and it takes care of itself and lets you get on with other stuff. Latkes are quite needy, you need watch over them and make sure you flip them in time or else they burn to a cinder, whereas rösti is like a grown-up, mature latke. You simply set the pan on low heat, nest the potato mixture in it and can safely walk away for at least 20 minutes. I like that, especially that I always multitask in my kitchen – making more than one dish at once.
Since it is summer after all and you may be like: ‘why is she making a potato cake in the middle of summer?’ I paired my rösti with a very vibrant and summery topping. A tray of sweet and plump cherry tomatoes, brushed with a little garlic oil and basil and roasted until tender. Yum. This dish makes a perfect summer dinner with heaps of fresh green salad. It is substantial enough that you won’t go to bed hungry yet light enough that you will sleep easy. It has become one of the Lazy Cat Kitchen household staples!
20 large cherry tomatoes 2 pinches of dried basil or oregano ½ small garlic clove, pressed ½ tsbp olive oil ground pepper ground sea salt a handful of fresh basil, to garnish (optional)
