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A rösti is a traditional Swiss recipe where you grate potatoes and then panfry them until they are golden and crispy. I’ve elevated a regular rösti recipe by topping it with amazing hot honey smoked salmon, crème fraîche, honey, crushed red peppers and chives- this has been my go-to meal lately because it’s so comforting and easy to make, it also would make an amazing appetizer.
Table of Contents
Why You’ll Love Smoked Salmon Honey Rösti
Isn’t this Rösti basically hash browns, you ask? They are definitely similar, but rösti is better! Hash browns are raw potatoes that you pan-fry and they are usually thinner. Rösti, on the other hand, is a recipe where you parboil your potatoes first and then season them so you have amazing flavor in every bite! Rösti is also an anytime-of-day meal, so you can top it with smoked salmon, crème fraîche, honey and chives and it’s socially acceptable! The smoked salmon makes this recipe a really filling and delicious appetizer.
Prep Like a Pro
Give yourself time to chill before grating – Cold potatoes will grate cleanly. Warm potatoes will get gummy. Make sure to give yourself at least 20 minutes for the potatoes to cool, maybe longer depending on the size.
Shape as you go – Use your spatula while adding little bits of butter to shape this into the iconic round rösti while it pan-fries to golden perfection.
Deeply golden bottom before you flip – Don’t rush this. You want the bottom nice and golden so it stays together before you flip it. Make sure you don’t allow it to burn.
Serve – This Smoked Salmon Honey Rösti is an amazing recipe for lunch, brunch, an appetizer, or even a main!
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🔥Chef Nadia’s Tip🔥
Parboiling the potatoes and chilling for a couple hours or overnight will yield a crispier result and better/fluffier texture inside. If you do decide to skip this step, make sure you at least soak the grated potatoes in salted cold water & then squeeze out as much of the water as you can.
Substitutions and Variations
- Substitutions
- Gold Potatoes → You can use russets if you want a starchier rösti that gets extra crispy.
- Clarified Butter → You do need to use clarified because regular would burn, but you can make this. Melt your regular butter slowly over low heat. When the solids separate, gently skim off the foam and pour the clear part through a fine-mesh sieve lined with cheesecloth into a separate container. That is your clarified butter.
- Hot Honey Smoked Salmon → You can use regular smoked salmon instead.
- Variations
- Build-Your-Own → Serve your rösti wedges plain and let everyone build their own. You can add avocado slices, pickled onions, soft-boiled eggs, whatever sounds good!
- Confit Egg Variation → Confit Egg Yolk are known for their velvety, buttery, luxurious taste and texture, and they would taste amazing on this rösti.
- Vegetarian Rösti Swap → Drop the hot honey smoked salmon and use grilled asparagus or roasted mushrooms.
The Perfect Pairings
A drink recipe that would taste great with this Smoked Salmon Honey Rösti appetizer is my Porn Star Margarita. For your main, Chicken Parm and a fresh Arugula Fennel Salad. For, dessert, a delicious, not too sweet Melon Dessert.
Smoked Salmon Honey Rösti: Questions Answered
I am using an 8-inch nonstick All-Clad pan.
You are pan-frying this rösti for a long time and regular butter will burn at the heat you are using. So you do need to use clarified butter. If you don’t have any, you can always make it from regular butter. Melt your regular butter slowly over low heat. When the solids separate, gently skim off the foam and pour the clear part through a fine-mesh sieve lined with cheesecloth into a separate container. That is your clarified butter.
You can do a lot of it ahead. The potatoes can be parboiled, cooled, grated and stored in an airtight container in the fridge a day in advance. There is the option to make and panfry the rösti, cool and store it in an airtight container in the fridge a day in advance. You would then reheat it in a skillet, adding a touch more butter and oil, until it is warmed through and recrisped. Then top before serving.
Smoked Salmon Honey Rösti
Equipment
- pot
- food processor with grater attachment, or a cheese grater
- 8 inch nonstick pan, I'm using All-Clad
Ingredients
- 1½-2 lb yukon gold potatoes, adjust amount for your desired thickness
- 1 pinch salt
- ¼ cup clarified butter, melted, divided
- 3 tbsp olive oil, divided
- 8 oz hot honey smoked salmon, I used Ducktrap, cut to desired size
- creme fraîche, to taste
- honey, to taste
- chives, chopped, to taste
- crushed red peppers, to taste
Instructions
- Parboil whole gold potatoes for about 10 minutes, until a knife slides in easily but with some resistance still. Chill.
- Grate the potatoes in a food processor with a grater attachment (or by hand). Season with a large pinch of salt and gently toss to combine.
- Preheat a nonstick pan on medium-high for 3 minutes. Add 2 tbsp of clarified butter and 1 tbsp oil. Lower heat to medium and press in the potatoes to form a round cake.
- Using a spatula, shape the edges so they are nice and rounded, add a few spoonfuls of the clarified butter to the sides as it cooks. See the video if needed. Cook for 12-16 minutes, until the bottom super golden but not burnt.
- Place a cutting board over the pan and flip the potatoes onto it. Add the rest of clarified butter and oil to the pan and slide in the potatoes back in. Cook for another 12-16 minutes, until super golden.
- Transfer to a serving plate and cut into even, pie shaped wedges. Top each slice with a nicely folding piece of the smoked salmon. Add a dollop of creme fraîche, drizzle with honey, and sprinkle with crushed red peppers and chives.
Kitchen Cam
Notes
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
