We love duck fat and potatoes like nothing else – they really make the perfect pair. With crispy, golden edges and a creamy interior, these Swiss potato cakes – called rösti – make an irresistible side dish or snack. Here we’ve added bacon, shallots, and Alpine cheese (because we can) for a version that you can eat at any meal. Try it with sausages or fried eggs for breakfast or brunch. Read on for the easy recipe.

Duck Fat Rösti with Bacon & Comté

This typical Swiss recipe is a sort of potato fritter or pancake that originally began as part of a hearty farm breakfast. Today it’s considered a national dish, and offered as a potato side in many restaurants in the German-speaking regions of Switzerland.

If you can’t find Yukon Gold potatoes, another waxy variety would work. There is no need to peel the potatoes, as the small bits of skin at flavor to the rösti. This rösti makes an excellent snack (especially alongside a glass of wine or cocktail), a lovely side dish for your favorite steak or lamb chop, or as a base for a perfectly poached egg, some cold smoked salmon or dressed salad greens.

Ingredients

• 3 medium-sized Yukon Gold potatoes
• 3 slices Uncured Applewood Smoked Bacon
• 1 small shallot, finely chopped
• 3 ounces Comté cheese, grated
• Kosher salt & freshly ground black pepper
• 2 tablespoons Duck Fat

Preparation

1. Parboil the potatoes in a small pot of salted water until just barely tender. Remove potatoes from the pot and cool to room temperature, then refrigerate for several hours, up to overnight.
2. In a small skillet, cook the bacon over medium heat until crisp. Drain on paper towels then chop finely and set aside. To the rendered bacon fat, add shallot and cook over medium-high heat until translucent and soft, about 3-5 minutes. Remove shallot with a slotted spoon and set aside.
3. Using a box grater, coarsely grate the cold potatoes into a medium bowl. Add reserved bacon and shallots, and Comté cheese; season mixture to taste with salt and pepper and gently fold until evenly combined.
4. Heat 1 tablespoon of the duck fat in a small, heavy skillet (we used a 10” cast iron pan) over medium-high heat. When the fat is sizzling, add potato mixture and allow to cook for about 2 minutes before pressing lightly into a flat cake. Cook for a couple of minutes, then gently shake the pan to loosen the potato. Lower the heat to medium and continue to cook for about 10 minutes until golden and crisp, then place a plate on top of the pan and invert so the rösti sits, cooked-side up, on the plate.
5. Add the rest of the duck fat to the pan and, when sizzling, slide the rösti back into the pan, cooked side up. Continue to cook for another 10 minutes, then remove from the pan, slice into wedges and serve.