Swiss Potato Roesti with Ramp Feta Dip
It's back! Before I even saw it, I could smell it: the oniony, fresh, green aroma of ramp.
I can't say what excited me more last weekend, Berlin's summery temperatures that brought city life back into the parks, cafés, and restaurants, or my beloved ramps. Large bunches of the springy leaves tucked into little buckets waited for me at the market and I couldn't stop myself - I already used more than a dozen of them. Mainly for pesto, as it tastes so unbelievably good and my boyfriend is convinced that it calms his pollen allergy. Soups are next, seafood, burgers, sandwiches, ramp's season is short but my inspiration to use it is unlimited.
Another one of my spring classics is roesti (or Röschti). It's a rustic Swiss dish made of grated raw and preferably young potatoes fried in a heavy pan like crisp latkes, there's no flour or egg, only salt and pepper for seasoning. Last year, I shared a recipe with you that added lemon zest and rosemary, which made it feel quite summery. This time I go for a rich dip: feta whipped with lots of chopped ramp leaves and a squeeze of lemon juice. The spicy green melts into the cheese's saltiness, it's divine. I made a large batch of the dip as it's also fantastic in combination with juicy ciabatta or crusty dark bread.
Swiss Potato Roesti with Ramp Feta Dip
Serves 2 for lunch
peeled waxy potatoes, cut into small match sticks, 400g / 14 ounces
flaky sea salt
black peppercorns, crushed in a mortar
olive oil
For the feta dip
feta 150g / 5 ounces
fresh ramp leaves 30g / 1 ounce
olive oil 3 tablespoons
freshly squeezed lemon juice 1 tablespoon
ground pepper
For the dip, in a food processor or blender, pulse the feta, ramp leaves, olive oil, and lemon juice until smooth. Season with ground pepper to taste.
Heat 5 tablespoons of olive oil in a 22cm / 9″ cast iron pan on high heat, add the potatoes, quickly spread them evenly, and push them down with a spatula. Turn the heat down to medium / medium-high and cook for about 5 minutes, mind that the potatoes don’t burn. Using a spatula, loosen the roesti from the sides of the pan and lift it gently from the bottom, but don't flip it over yet, it should be golden and light brown at the bottom. To turn the roesti, cover the pan with a large lid and flip the pan over, carefully but quickly. You should end up with the roesti on the lid. Put the pan back on the heat, add 1 tablespoon of oil and let the roesti slide off the lid into the pan. Cook for 5 minutes or until golden brown and crisp on the bottom side. Loosen the roesti from the sides and the bottom of the pan and slide it onto a large plate (if you prefer, flip it over onto the lid first). Season with flaky sea salt and crushed pepper to taste and serve with a generous dollop of the feta dip. You can eat the roesti romantically from 1 plate or cut it in half and serve it on 2 plates.
Lemon Rosemary Potato Roesti
Sometimes, even the hottest day in summer calls for a hearty potato pan dish, like the Swiss roesti (or Röschti). This rustic dish is made of raw, grated potatoes fried in a heavy pan like a crisp pancake, or latkes, but without any eggs or flour. It's a very quick and easy meal, you just have to be brave when you turn it around (I use a large lid which simplifies this task noticeably). A roesti focuses on the pure taste of potatoes with a little help from salt and pepper. I allowed myself the addition of lemon zest and fresh rosemary to turn it into a more fragrant, summery dish.
I'm in Malta at the moment and this year I decided to cook a few recipes in advance to share on eat in my kitchen. I wanted to give myself some time to get used to my Mediterranean lifestyle and my Maltese mama's kitchen instead of sharing my recipes from here right from day 1 - like I did 12 months ago. It's been a very exciting year, with my cookbook being published next year, I've been cooking, baking and shooting tons of photos in the past couple months. So I decided to use the time in Malta to slow down my pace a little and to write the recipes and stories for my book. I'm very happy to be working from our family's old house in Msida. I hear the birds sing early in the morning as soon as I open the large glass doors to the garden, the smell of jasmine and stephanotis caressing my nose with their mesmerizing sweetness. The silence of the early day allows me to focus on my work before the hustle and bustle, chatting and laughter begins in the house. In a few days, I will start to write about my recipes cooked here in the south, from my beloved little island. Until then, I will enjoy the sun, the sea and all the wonderful people I've missed so badly for so long.
Lemon Rosemary Potato Roesti
For a 22cm / 9" cast iron pan (for 2 people) you need
waxy potatoes (raw), peeled and cut into match sticks, 400g / 14oz
lemon zest 2 heaping teaspoons plus 1/4 teaspoon for the topping
fresh rosemary, finely chopped, 2 heaping teaspoons, plus a few sprigs for the topping
fine sea salt 1/2 teaspoon
ground pepper
vegetable oil
black peppercorns, crushed in a mortar, for the topping
flaky sea salt, for the topping
In a bowl, mix the potatoes, zest, rosemary, salt and pepper with your fingers until well combined.
Heat 5 tablespoons of oil in a 22cm / 9" cast iron pan on high, add the potatoes to the pan, quickly spread them evenly and push them down with the back side of a tablespoon or a spatula. Turn down the heat immediately to medium / medium-high and cook for about 5 minutes, mind that the potatoes don't burn. Loosen the roesti from the sides of the pan with a spatula and lift it a little to check if the bottom side is done, it should be golden and light brown. If you prefer, loosen the roesti with the spatula from the bottom of the pan before you flip it over. Cover the pan with a large lid, and turn the pan carefully but quickly (it might be easier with the help of a second person). You should end up with the roesti on the lid. Put the pan back on the heat, add 1 tablespoon of oil and let the roesti slide off the lid into the pan. Cook for 5 minutes, add another minute on top on high heat if necessary. Serve right form the pan sprinkled with lemon zest, rosemary, crushed pepper and flaky sea salt or turn it onto a lid before you let it slide onto a plate.
