The Food Lab: Better Home Cooking Through Science

down), but it also rinses away lots of starch. Too little starch
is just as bad as too much starch in rösti, so I avoid rinsing
or submerging my taters in water at any point. Parcooking
the potatoes accomplishes the goal of preventing them from
browning and also leads to a better texture in the finished
product—you don’t have to worry about raw potato in the
center of the potato cake. This is one case where the
microwave is actually the best tool for the job. It allows you
to cook the potatoes rapidly without either adding moisture
or losing an excessive amount.
For a gussied-up version, I sauté onions and mushrooms
until a deep golden brown and flavor them with a bit of
thyme to form a central layer in my potato cake. You could
use whatever sautéed vegetables you want.
After you’ve got your stuffing (if any), cooking the rösti
is a simple matter of moderate heat and a good thick pan
that will cook it gently and evenly. I use a well-seasoned
cast-iron pan, but you can use a good nonstick pan if you
don’t have a cast-iron one. Crisping the potatoes properly
takes a while, which gives you plenty of time to brew your
coffee or squeeze your mangoes, or prepare whatever else it
is your spouse likes served with their brunch.