Potato Rösti with Smoked Salmon

I do not know about you, but I cannot eat any more prime rib after this Christmas season. Now that the holidays are over, we can move on from giant roasts of beef and ham toward something a little lighter as we work to undo the bad dietary choices we have made over the last 30 days.

Even more importantly, now that the new year is finally upon us, it is time to throw away that air fryer that you may have relied on a little too much in 2025 and work towards trying harder in 2026.

Normally, I am not much of a brunch person, but this week’s recipe deserves to be on a weekend brunch menu. The potato rösti is Switzerland's national dish, traditionally a potato pancake with a crispy exterior and a soft interior. 

Many cultures have their take on the potato pancake, such as latkes, hash browns, and others, and all of these are fantastic. However, this recipe is so much more than just a potato pancake. 

By delicately cooking the potato in clarified butter until it is perfectly crisp, we are making something special here. Then, we will combine all the flavors of a classic bagel with lox, capers, and red onions and place them on top of this crispy potato pancake with a soft, almost-mashed-potato interior to create a perfect brunch experience. 

Before we get started, here are some notes. First off, you need to use a non-stick skillet for the recipe. Otherwise, the pancake will get stuck to the bottom of the pan, resulting in a disaster. 

Secondly, I would strongly recommend using clarified butter (or ghee) to brown the potatoes in the pan. Clarified butter is pure butter fat that has had all of the milk solids removed. As a result, it has a much higher smoke point than regular butter, which will help us achieve the perfect golden-brown crust on this potato rösti.

I would also strongly recommend serving this recipe for a formal brunch. Your friends will be more than impressed by it.

Ingredients:

• 2 large Yukon gold potatoes
• 1 tablespoon clarified butter or ghee, melted
• ½ teaspoon onion powder
• ½ teaspoon garlic powder
• ½ teaspoon cracked black pepper
• ½ teaspoon paprika
• ¾ teaspoon kosher salt
• 4 tablespoons clarified butter or ghee
• 3 oz smoked salmon
• ½ red onion, thinly sliced
• 2 tablespoons capers
• 3 tablespoons crème fraiche
• 1 tablespoon fresh dill

Directions:

1. Peel the potatoes, then grate them using the large holes on a box grater.
2. Place the grated potatoes in a clean kitchen towel and wring out as much water from the potatoes as possible. Transfer potatoes to a bowl.
3. Combine potatoes with 1 tablespoon of melted clarified butter, onion powder, garlic powder, black pepper, paprika, and kosher salt. Mix together until combined.
4. Heat a non-stick skillet over medium-high heat. Melt 2 tablespoons of the remaining clarified butter in the pan. Once fully melted and hot, add the potatoes in an even layer to the pan, pushing the sides inward to form a circle. Reduce the heat to medium-low and cook until browned on one side. This will take about 12 minutes.
5. Place a large plate over the skillet and invert the potato out of the pan. Melt the remaining 2 tablespoons of clarified butter in the pan, then slide the potato pancake back into it. Cook on this side for an additional 12 minutes over medium-low heat, until browned.
6. Transfer finished potato pancake onto a plate. Top with smoked salmon, red onion, capers, and fresh dill. Finish with a dollop of crème fraiche.