TREAT: Swiss Potato Roesti Dish with Bacon, Eggs, Cheese, Tomatoes & Chives

We traveled to Lucerne, Switzerland and ate at the Taube (highly recommended - great atmosphere, kid friendly and delicious food).  We ordered the Luzerner Rösti for our son and were jealous we did not order it for ourselves!  Fortunately for me, I was sitting right by an area where they were displaying the chef's cookbook and so I found the recipe.  Here is the recipe for the “Chapellbridge–Röschti” and you can find some additional tips here.

Ingredients

• 3 russet potatoes 
• One yellow or red onion, sliced
• Salt and pepper
• 6 Tbsp (3/4 of a stick) of butter, divided 
• 4 ounces of Gruyere cheese, sliced or diced
• 4 large eggs
• 4 pieces of bacon 
• 3/4 cup of cherry tomatoes, halved 
• Chopped chives, to taste 
• Chopped flat-leaf parsley

Instructions

• Place potatoes in a large saucepan, add cold water to cover them, season with a lot of salt & bring to a boil.  Once boiling, reduce the heat and simmer until you can stick a knife in the potatoes easily (approximately 10 minutes).  Drain the potatoes, let them cool & chill them until they are firm (about 2 hours).  Once they are chilled, grate the potatoes using the large holes of a box grater. 
• Preheat oven to 300 degrees. 
• Melt 4 Tbsp butter in a 12 inch ovenproof pan over medium-low heat.  Add the potatoes and the sliced onions.  Season with salt & pepper and press to compact.  Cook for approximately 15-20 minutes (until the bottom is golden brown and crisp). 
• Slide the rosti onto a plate so that you can flip it to cook the other side (so return the rosti to the pan with the browned side up). Dot 1 Tbsp butter around the edge, allowing it to melt under the rosti.  Season with salt & pepper and cook until the second side is brown and the center is tender (approximately 10-15 minutes).
• Cook the bacon & the eggs sunny side up (just until the whites are almost set) in a separate pan. 
• Top the rosti with the cheese, tomatoes and chives and bake in the oven until the cheese melts (approximately 5-8 minutes).
• Top the rosti with the bacon (in a cross) and the eggs.  Garnish with more chives and parsley.

This was so good that we forgot to take a picture before devouring it.  So this is all you get....

TREAT: Lemon Parmesan Dressing

I am officially obsessed with this salad dressing.  It is so, so, so, so good.

Ingredients

• 1/3 cup of parmesan cheese 
• 5 Tbsp of EVOO 
• 2 Tbsp of fresh lemon juice (I love lemon, so I just use the juice from one whole lemon) 
• 1 tsp finely grated lemon peel (again, I love lemon so I use the zest from the entire lemon)

Instructions

• Combine all of the ingredients in a food processor to mix. 
• It tastes best on a salad of arugula, cherry tomatoes, avocado slices & hearts of palm. 

Yum!  You can find this recipe here.

TREAT: Arugula salad with Caprese Stuffed Tomatoes

This salad is delicious and looks beautiful - so it is great to serve when you have guests over!

Ingredients & Instructions for Basil Oil Sauce

• 1 large bunch of basil (approx. 2 cups of packed basil leaves) 
• 1/2 - 1 cup of olive oil (adjust based on how thick you like it) 
• 1-2 garlic cloves 
• Salt to Taste
• Instructions: Mix all ingredients together in a blender or food processor until smooth.
• Note: This oil can be used refrigerated and should be used within 24-48 hours.

This recipe was found here.

Ingredients for Stuffed Avocados and Salad

• 1 pint of cherry tomatoes, halved 
• 8 ounces or 1/2 pound of mozzarella pearls
• 1/2 cup of the basic garlic oil sauce 
• 4 avocados 
• Arugula lettuce to serve with the avocados (optional) 
• 4-6 tablespoons of balsamic vinegar to drizzle (adjust to taste) 
• Salt and pepper to taste

Instructions

• For the filling: Mix the tomatoes, mozzarella pearls & basil oil. 
• For the avocados and salad: Cut them in half and carefully peel the skin.  Place the peeled avocados on a plate over the salad greens.  Spoon the caprese filling into the avocado halves.  Drizzle with balsamic vinegar reduction and serve immediately. 

This recipe was found here.

TREAT: Delicious Risotto Recipe - with Tomatoes, Mozzarella & Arugula

Every time I go to cook something, I somehow forget recipes that I have tried and loved.  It is like punchlines to a good joke - I can just never remember them quickly.  So, my sister SL2, in case you are reading this - this is how you can find recipes that I have tried and loved from afar for you to use.  Pinterest is awesome, but it was getting too complicated because of the combinations and changes.

This risotto is worth me coming out of a blog cave for a couple of years.  It is easy to make and truly delicious.  I served it with the avocado and arugula salad (adjacent post) because it used a lot of the same ingredients & now that I walk everywhere in the city and do not use a car, keeping groceries at a minimum is key.

Ingredients

• 1 cup of arborio rice 
• 2 Tablespoons of EVOO
• 3 Shallots, chopped 
• 1/2 cup dry white wine
• 4 cups vegetable stock (warmed in a saucepan on the oven)
• 2 Tablespoons of cold butter
• 2 cups of arugula
• 1 cup of cherry tomatoes, quartered
• 3/4 cup fresh mozzarella, diced
• Parmagiano to serve
• Salt and pepper to taste

Directions

1. Simmer your vegetable stock on the stove so that it is hot by the time you add it to the rice 
2. In a large pan, over medium/high heat, add the EVOO and once it is hot, add the shallots and sauté until translucent.
3. Add the rice and fry it with the EVOO and shallots so that all of the grains are coated in the oil.
4. Reduce the heat to medium low & add the white wine & cook until it is evaporated completely.
5. Add 1 cup of vegetable stock and cook, stirring occasionally until it is absorbed by the rice.  Repeat the price twice (one cup at a time).  If at the end you have used 3 cups and you think your rice is still too hard, then you can add the last cup of stock and cook until al dente.
6. Turn off the heat and add the butter - stir quickly. 
7. Once the butter has been combined, add the tomatoes and arugula and stir until everything is incorporated.
8. Add the mozzarella and stir gently.
9. Add salt and pepper as necessary. 
10. Serve immediately with parmesan.
11. Parmagiano to serve
12. Salt and pepper to taste

• This recipe is from this website.

I highly recommend this recipe - it is delicious and was enjoyed by the whole family.  This would also be good to serve to guests.  It is not too difficult to make (as many risottos can be).  Enjoy!