Rösti Cheeseburger Stacks (Version 2)

With a great storm bearing down upon us, there was a feel of Switzerland in the air (even if there were no mountains to complete the ambiance). For some reason, it just felt similar to our last night in Grindelwald from our December 2019 ski trip…so we decided to dust off and reinvent the recipe we made that night from our apartment. Thus, Rösti Cheeseburger Stacks were reborn with a significant tweak!

This time, we had our mini-cast iron pans at our disposal…so instead of making a tower, we made four extra thin rösti and the stacked a layer of burgery deliciousness between them before finishing in the oven. We also decided that it was a perfect time to open up a bottle of Garanoir that we bought La Cave Vevey-Montreaux’s tasting room and had been saving for the right time.

We served our stacks with a side salad made with arugula and yellow cherry tomatoes (in what was a subtle homage to a key ingredient of our original recipe until I noted it in this parenthetical thought). However, this would be amazing with a steamed veggie medley if you prefer something warmer…perhaps cauliflower, carrots, and zucchini?

Time: 40 Minutes

Ingredients (to make 2 servings):

• 1 Large Russet Potato
• 8 Ounces of Ground Meat. We used Mutton, but beef, pork, chicken, turkey, venison, or bison would all work too.
• Alpine Cheese from Switzerland. We used Mutschli, but since that’s not often findable (especially in the US), good alternatives are Raclette, Gruyere, Emmentaler, and Appenzeller.
• 1 Roma Tomato
• 1/2 Medium Onion
• A few Cremini (Baby Bella) Mushrooms
• A pinch of Salt
• 5-6″ Cast Iron pans work really well for this as well if you’ve got them.

Method:

• Prep for your rösti:
  • Peel your potato, and grate it with a box grater or the shredding plate of your food processor.
  • Grab a handful of potatoes, and squeeze as much water out as you can, and then put it in a bowl. Continue to do this until all of your grated potatoes have had as much liquid as you can removed. Mix in a little salt, and separate into four equal portions.
• Dice your onion and mushrooms, and slice your tomato and cheese.
• Preheat your oven to 350 degrees F.
• Melt some butter in your rösti pan(s) (cast iron), and melt some butter in another pan (for your filling).
• When your butter is fully melted and nice and hot, put half of your potatoes into your cast iron pan(s), and press down so you get very thin circles of about 5-6″ diameter.
• Add your onions to your other pan, and begin to sautee for a few minutes until they become opaque. Then, add your ground meat, and cook to brown.
• When your first rösti cakes move freely in your pan (not stuck) and are golden brown on the bottom, remove them, and set them aside on a plate with the golden side facing up.
• Melt more butter in your rösti pan(s), and start your next cakes the same way you did your first.
• As your second rösti cakes cook, add your thinly sliced tomatoes atop. Then, when your mutton is fully cooked, add it atop your tomatoe, and top that with cheese.
• Using a large spatula, place your first rösti cakes on top of everything (golden side up) to complete your stack.
• Place in the oven for about 10 minutes to melt your cheese and get everything nice and hot.
• Remove from the oven, and extricate your stacks. The best way we’ve found to do this is to put a plate upside down over the top of your cast iron, and hold everything together as you flip. Your stacks should come cleanly out of your cast iron onto the plate to be moved to their final destination from that point. Note: This will be a little trickier if you’re using one large cast iron pan, but you can extricate with some strategic spatula use in that case.
• Plate, devour, and enjoy!