A rösti is basically a hash brown’s fancy Swiss cousin – somewhere between a latke and a potato pancake. Here it’s topped with crispy pesto fried eggs and sweet balsamic roasted veg, so you’ve covered all the bases in terms of protein, healthy fats, carbs and fibre. In other words, it’s a well-balanced excuse to have hash browns for breakfast.
The secret to a properly crisp rösti is getting as much moisture as possible out of the grated potato before it hits the pan. Once golden on both sides, it gets an extra blast under the grill while you fry the pesto eggs, keeping everything hot and gloriously crunchy. Serve with a little grated cheese and fresh basil if you fancy, and you’ve got Sophie’s “posh hash brown” breakfast sorted.
Prep Time
5 to 10 minutes
Cook Time
15 to 20 minutes
Servings
2
Method
MAKE THE RÖSTI
1 Grate the potatoes using the large holes of a box grater. Place the grated potato in a bowl of cold water to rinse off the starch.
2 Drain, then use a clean tea towel or kitchen paper to squeeze out all the excess moisture – the drier the potato, the crispier the rösti. Transfer to a bowl and season with the salt and pepper.
3 Heat a tablespoon of the oil or butter in a small (approx. 20cm) frying pan over a low–medium heat. Add the grated potato and press it into an even layer, covering the whole pan.
4 Cook for 8–10 minutes until the bottom is golden and crisp. If it isn’t browning, turn the heat up slightly.
5 Once golden, carefully flip onto a plate or board. Add the remaining tablespoon of oil or butter to the pan and slide the rösti back in to cook the other side. Cook for 6–8 minutes until the second side is crisp and golden.
6 Slide the finished rösti onto a baking tray and keep warm under a preheated medium–high grill (this step makes it extra crispy – just keep an eye on it so it doesn’t burn).
ROAST THE VEG
1 While the rösti cooks, roast the veg. Preheat the oven to 200°C fan. Line a baking tray with baking paper.
2 Toss the tomatoes and asparagus with the olive oil, balsamic vinegar, garlic powder and some salt and pepper.
3 Spread the veg out on the lined baking tray and roast for 15 minutes, or air-fry at 200°C for 10 minutes, until the tomatoes are starting to blister and the asparagus is tender and slightly charred.
FRY THE PESTO EGGS
1 Using the same frying pan you used for the rösti, add the pesto to the pan and fry over a low heat for a minute until it’s gently sizzling.
2 Crack in the eggs and let them cook until the edges begin to crisp. Spoon the warm pesto over the whites, then cover the pan with a lid and cook for 1–2 minutes to set the tops while keeping the yolks runny.
SERVE
1 Cut the rösti into wedges and serve with the balsamic roasted vegetables and a pesto-fried egg on top of each portion.
2 Finish with a grating of cheese and a scattering of torn basil leaves, if you fancy.
3 Lightly toast the burger buns and then spread a layer of the kimchi mayo on both sides. Top the burger bases with the crispy glazed chicken, pile on the cucumber and radish pickle and add the bun lids. Serve.
Get involved
Sophie Gastman is a registered nutritionist and content creator with a background in public health, specialising in children’s health and behaviour change. Recipe taken from Find Your Healthy, available to buy now.
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