Starters & Canapés

Starters & Canapés: Rösti with Smoked Salmon & cream cheese

I will be honest, I will work potato rösti into almost any menu if I can. There are few things I love as much as the crunchy, salty and hot surface of a fresh rösti giving way to the soft, cooked potato in the middle. I’m often surprised that I have any left to serve to guests while I’m frying them as I can almost never resist eating a few as I go.

These are particularly fabulous as they are topped with cream cheese and beautiful smoked salmon and finished with some fresh dill. Over the Festive season I like to treat my guests (and myself) by using ingredients that I believe to be a little indulgent and over-the-top. Smoked salmon is definitely a luxury and I just love the smoky saltiness of the coral flesh and how it intensifies anything it is partnered up with. It almost makes the other ingredients seem more high end as well. Almost the way I feel when I’m surrounded by fancy-schmancy people, all designer clothing & perfect eyebrows (pfft!).

This is not really a starter you can make too far ahead as the crunch of the rösti really is what you’re after, but don’t let the deter you. if you have a big frying pan (or two smaller ones going at the same time), these can be turned out in no time, especially when you make them little, like I have with these. A few (no more than 3) teaspoons of the potato mixture per rösti is all you need. This quantity will make approximately 15 canapés but from experience, I can tell you that these go relatively fast and even people who don’t eat salmon (outrageous!) will gobble them up so double, triple or quadruple this recipe as you see fit.

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Rösti with Smoked Salmon with cream cheese

Cuisine: appetiser, hors d’oeuvres, canapés

Prep time:  5 mins

Cook time:  10 mins

Total time:  15 mins

Serves: Makes 15 canapés

Ingredients

• 4 large potatoes
• 1 red onion
• 4 tablespoons flour
• 2 teaspoons salt
• white pepper to taste

to serve

• smoked salmon
• plain cream cheese
• fresh dill
• fresh lemon wedges

Instructions

1. Grate the potatoes and onion into a bowl.
2. Add the flour, salt & pepper and mix well.
3. In a large, hot frying pan (add a few tablespoons of vegetable oil), form mini Rösti (approximately 2 teaspoons of mixture per Rösti) and fry until golden and crisp on both sides.
4. Remove from the pan and drain on kitchen paper.
5. Place on a serving platter of your choice and top with a dollop of cream cheese followed with a ribbon of smoked salmon and some fresh dill and a squeeze of lemon.
6. Serve immediately.