Potato Casserole

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Potato Casserole

The traditional potato casserole from Graubunden and Engadin used to be baked directly over hot coals in a large baking dish or on a sheet in the oven. This variation of the Swiss casserole adds apples and dill to the base recipe to give it fresh and tart accents.

Serves 4 • Prep: 15 minutes + 40 minutes baking time

Ingredients for Potato Casserole

For the casserole:

2 white onions, peeled and diced

3½oz (100g) cured or smoked meat (such as Salsiz, Bündnerfleisch, or smoked bacon), diced

1lb 5oz (600g) red potatoes

1 tablespoon polenta

5 tablespoons soft butter plus extra for the baking dish

freshly grated nutmeg

salt

For the apples:

½ bunch dill

2 apples

2 tablespoons butter

freshly ground pepper

How to make Potato Casserole

1 Preheat the oven to 370°F(190°C) or 340°F (170°C) (convection oven). Peel the potatoes and grate into a bowl. Add the diced onions, Salsiz, polenta, and 5 tablespoons butter; combine thoroughly and season with salt and nutmeg. Butter 4 small ramekins or a muffin tray and fill with the potato mixture. Place on the middle rack and bake for about 40 minutes, or until golden brown.

2 In the meantime, chop the dill. Peel and core the apples; cut into slices. Melt the butter in a frying pan, then sauté the apples for 3–4 minutes until golden. Season with pepper and dill.

3 Remove the casseroles from the oven and allow to cool slightly in the ramekins. Transfer to plates and serve with the apple mixture.

Tip: The following winter salad goes well with this dish: Quarter an apple, remove the seeds, and slice. Wash an organic lemon with hot water and dry; zest and juice. Pick the leaves off four parsley stems and chop. In a tall jar, combine lemon zest, lemon juice, 1 teaspoon spicy mustard, 2 teaspoons quince jelly, and the chopped parsley. Season with salt and pepper and puree, preferably using an immersion blender. Add 1–2 tablespoons water and ¼ cup oil little by little until you have a creamy sauce. Break up a head of endive; combine with the apple slices and the dressing in a bowl, then serve.

Cabbage Salad with Smoked Salmon

Serves 4 • Prep: 40 minutes

Ingredients for Cabbage Salad with Smoked Salmon

For the salad:

1 small pointed cabbage or other white cabbage variety (about 1lb 10oz (750g))

1 pinch ground caraway seeds

1 onion, peeled and diced

2 tablespoons canola oil

2 tablespoons white wine vinegar

7oz (200g) smoked salmon (or other smoked fish)

freshly ground salt and pepper

For the dressing:

3 tablespoons mustard (or Dijon mustard)

2 tablespoons honey

2 tablespoons white wine vinegar

½ cup canola oil

1 bunch dill, finely chopped

freshly ground salt and pepper

How to make Cabbage Salad with Smoked Salmon

1 For the salad, quarter the cabbage, remove stalk, and chop into thin slices. Add to a bowl with salt, pepper, and ground caraway seeds; lightly mash. Heat canola oil in a frying pan and sweat the onions for three minutes, then deglaze with the white wine vinegar. Fold in the cabbage mixture and allow to rest for 30 minutes, covered.

2 In the meantime, make the dressing by combining the mustard, honey, white wine vinegar, salt, and pepper. Whisk in the canola oil as if you were making mayonnaise: Add it little by little until emulsified (preferably with an immersion blender). Fold the dill into the dressing. Season to taste.

3 Cut the smoked salmon into thick slices using a sharp knife. Combine the cabbage mixture and dressing, then transfer onto plates along with the smoked salmon. Serve.

Endive with Caramelized Onions

This hearty winter salad goes well with smoked fish fillets, including the not-so-Alpine herring fillets, as well as chopped herbs like chervil or dill. (And, of course, who could have guessed it—the salad also goes well with fried bacon.)

Serves 4 • Prep: 20 minutes

Ingredients for Endive with Caramelized Onions

1 head endive

1¾oz (50g) walnuts, coarsely chopped

1¾oz (50g) stale white bread

4½oz (125g) goose fat or lard

(or 3½fl oz (100ml) canola oil)

1 apple

3–4 tablespoons apple cider vinegar

1 medium onion, peeled and diced

1 clove garlic

1 teaspoon caraway seeds

freshly ground salt and pepper

How to make Endive with Caramelized Onions

1 Wash the endive, slice thinly, and add to a bowl. With the stale bread, form coarse bread crumbs with your hands or a food processor; you should have about 1 cup of bread crumbs. Melt 1 tablespoon goose fat in a frying pan and toast the walnuts and bread crumbs in the fat until golden brown while stirring frequently. Lightly season with salt then spread on a plate and allow to cool. Peel and quarter the apple, remove the core, and slice into thin pieces. Sprinkle with several drops of apple cider vinegar.

2 Melt the remaining goose fat in a pot and sauté the onion on low to medium heat until almost soft and golden brown.

3 In the meantime, peel the garlic and mince with the caraway seeds. Add to the onions and cook briefly. Deglaze with the remaining apple cider vinegar and remove from the stove. Season with salt and pepper. 4 Add the endive and the apple slices to the onion mixture, cover with the nut–bread crumb mixture, and serve immediately.

Beet Carpaccio with Watercress Sour Cream

Thinly sliced smoked duck or crispy fried chicken breast strips go exceptionally well with Randen—which is what beets are called in Switzerland—carpaccio. The carpaccio is especially beautiful with striped beets; you can sometimes find the striped Italian variety, Chioggia, at the farmers market or purchase the seeds to grow yourself. You could also simply mix red beets with white and yellow beets, carrots, and parsnips.

Serves 4 • Prep: 30 minutes + 30 minutes inactive time

Ingredients for Beet Carpaccio with Watercress Sour Cream

14oz (400g) red beets (or any other variety)

2 small red onions

½ organic orange

½ organic lemon

3 tablespoons canola oil and extra for the pine nuts

1 tablespoon pine nuts or

Zirbelnüsse (see tip)

2⁄3 cup Schmand or sour cream

1 bunch watercress or parsley

freshly ground salt and pepper

How to make Beet Carpaccio with Watercress Sour Cream

1 Peel the beets and slice thinly with a mandolin (cut large beets in half first). Peel and dice the onion. Wash the orange and lemon with hot water and dry; zest and juice each and place the lemon zest and juice aside. Season the orange juice generously with salt and pepper and whisk with the canola oil. Marinate the beets and onions in the sauce for at least 30 minutes.

2 In the meantime, toast the pine nuts in a frying pan with a few drops of oil until golden brown. Allow to cool slightly, then chop coarsely; mix with the lemon zest and lightly season with salt. Whisk the lemon juice and Schmand or sour cream; season with salt and pepper. Coarsely chop the watercress and fold into the mixture.

3 Divide the marinated beet slices evenly among four plates and add a scoop of the watercress-Schmand mixture; sprinkle with pine nuts and serve.

Tip: The Zirbelkiefer, Arve, or Swiss pine is the Alpine relative to the Mediterranean umbrella pines, just without the umbrellas. In the regions the Zirbelkiefer grows, its seeds (Zirbelnüsse) are used exactly like pine nuts.

Potato Cheese Spread with Bacon and Rye Bread

This potato sandwich spread is especially popular in rural kitchens in Lower Bavaria and Austria. The name can be a bit misleading, as there is not actually any cheese in this recipe.

Serves 4 • Prep: 25 minutes

Ingredients for Potato Cheese Spread with Bacon and Rye Bread

14oz (400g) starchy potatoes (such as Russet)
2 white onions
1 bunch chives
11⁄3 cups sour cream
4–6 tablespoons cream or milk
sweet paprika
ground caraway seeds
8 slices rye bread
4 prunes, thinly sliced
4½oz (125g) smoked South
Tyrolean speck
freshly ground salt and pepper

How to make Potato Cheese Spread with Bacon and Rye Bread

1 Cook the potatoes in boiling salted water for 10–15 minutes. In the meantime, peel the onions, cut in half, and chop finely. Slice the chives into small rings.
2 Drain the potatoes; peel and mash into a lumpy puree using a fork or potato masher. Mix in the onions, chives, sour cream, and cream. Season generously with salt, pepper, paprika, and caraway seeds. Mix thoroughly until the mixture is spreadable.
3 Spread the mixture on the rye bread and add the prunes. Cut the speck into thin strips and serve on top of or next to the bread.

Variations: For Topfenkas (quark cheese spread), use 9oz (250g) quark, only 7oz (200g) potatoes, and the rest of the ingredients. For Kürbiskas (pumpkin cheese spread), preheat the oven to 350°F (175°C) or 320°F (160°C) (convection oven). Cut a small red kuri pumpkin in half, scoop out the seeds, and cut into slices. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper and spread out the pumpkin evenly. Bake for about 40 minutes in the middle rack. Allow to cool, and mash. Mix with 1 bunch chives (sliced in rings), 7oz (200g) cream cheese, and 2⁄3 cup crème fraîche. Season generously with salt, pepper, and caraway seeds.

Alpine Hot Dog: Bosna with Onion Mustard

Serves 4 • Prep: 15 minutes

For the onion mustard:

2–3 white onions, peeled and finely diced

3 tablespoons canola oil

salt

1–2 tablespoons herb vinegar

1⁄3 cup spicy mustard

2 tablespoons German sweet mustard

For the hot dog:

1 bunch parsley, removed from stalks and chopped coarsely

2 baby gherkin pickles or cornichons, diced

1 tablespoon vegetable oil

4 bratwursts (5½oz (150g) total weight)

4 hot dog buns

curry powder

crushed red pepper flakes (to taste)

1½in piece of fresh horseradish

pickled chilies or Alpine pickles for serving

Directions

1 For the onion mustard: Heat the canola oil in a pan and add the onions and a bit of salt; allow to sweat, covered, for 5 minutes. Deglaze the pan with the herb vinegar, remove from heat, and allow

to cool. Mix with the spicy and German sweet mustards.

2 Heat the oil in a grill pan and cook the bratwursts for 6–8 minutes (or use a grill). Slice the buns in half lengthwise and toast them under the broiler or on the grill; spread with onion mustard. Place the bratwurst on the lower half of the roll and sprinkle with the curry powder, red pepper flakes (to taste), parsley, and diced baby gherkins.

3 Peel the horseradish and grate it over the hot bratwurst. Cover with the other half of the bun. Wrap each Alpine hot dog halfway with a paper napkin and serve hot with pickled chili peppers or Alpine pickles.

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