Meldreth Matters, January 2022

In Praise Of … … Potatoes This month we showcase potatoes or pommes de terre: potatoes are a staple food that we can enjoy all year round. They have an excellent nutritive content being rich in vitamin C and potassium. They can be fried, steamed, roasted, etc. In truth, the potato is one of the world’s superfoods even though it’s not exotic or trendy and if you’re eating potatoes, you can generally eat local, healthy, and dirt cheap.

Here are three recipes to celebrate potatoes in all their glory. Enjoy.

Potato Rösti Prep time 20 minutes, cooking time 20 minutes, serves 2 Ingredients 2 large floury potatoes peeled 2-3 tbsp clarified butter or duck fat 2-3 tbsp sunflower oil Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper Method For the rösti, grate the potatoes coarsely into a clean tea towel. Fold the towel around the potato to form a ball and squeeze to remove as much moisture as possible. Season the potato with black pepper, then divide into four equal portions. Make sure you squeeze as much moisture as possible from the potatoes to get a really crisp result.

Heat a large frying pan over a medium heat and add two tablespoons of the clarified butter or duck fat and the sunflower oil. Place a metal chef’s ring inside the frying pan and carefully fill with one portion of grated potato. Using the back of a spoon gently push down to make a compact cake. Remove the ring and repeat with the remaining potato until you have four rösti.

Fry the rösti for 8 –10 minutes on both sides, or until golden-brown all over and tender all the way through, adding more oil or fat if required.

Season with salt, then remove from the pan and drain on kitchen paper.

Place onto a roasting tray and reheat before serving.

Goes well with smoked salmon and crème fraiche.

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