Zürcher Geschnetzeltes with Crisp Butter Rösti
Restaurant-style veal tenderloin in a reduced-stock cream sauce, served on a golden butter rösti that is crisp outside and tender within.
Method
Peel the potatoes, grate them on the coarse side of a box grater, toss with some of the salt and leave for . Wrap them in a clean tea towel and wring out as much liquid as you can; wet potatoes won’t crisp and will spit in the pan. Meanwhile cut the veal into strips 5 mm thick and 4 cm long, chop the shallot and slice the mushrooms 4 mm thick.
Add in this stepPotatoes (waxy or all-purpose) 400 gSalt ¼ tsp
Heat the rösti oil and half the rösti butter in a non-stick pan (24 cm) over medium-high heat. When the butter stops foaming, add the potato, press it into a flat round cake about 1.5 cm thick, lower the heat to medium heat and cook for . Shake the pan now and then: once the cake slides freely, the bottom is set.
Add in this stepNeutral oil (for the rösti) 1 tbspButter (for the rösti) 10 g
medium-high heat→medium heatCover the pan with a plate larger than the pan, flip the rösti onto it, then slide it back into the pan. Tuck the rest of the rösti butter around the edge and cook over medium heat for more, until deep golden on both sides. Keep it warm in an oven at about 100 °C.
Add in this stepButter (for the rösti) 10 g
medium heatHeat a stainless steel or cast-iron frying pan over high heat until smoking (pan size · number of batches: 26 cm · 1×). Season the veal with salt and pepper, add the oil and sear the strips in a single layer for just per batch, colouring only the outside. Set aside on a plate with the juices.
Add in this stepVeal tenderloin or loin 300 gSalt ¼ tspWhite or black pepper 2 pinchNeutral oil (for the meat) 1 tbsp
high heatAdd the butter to the same pan and spread out the mushrooms over medium-high heat for ; leave them alone for the first 2 minutes so they brown deeply. Add the shallot and cook for until fragrant.
Add in this stepButter (for the mushrooms) 15 gButton mushrooms 180 gShallot 1
medium-high heatPour in the wine and scrape up the brown bits over high heat for , reducing it almost completely. Add the stock and boil hard for until reduced to about a third. This concentrated stock is what gives a restaurant sauce its depth.
Add in this stepDry white wine 100 mlRich beef or veal stock 200 ml
high heatStir in the cream and mustard and simmer over medium heat for until the sauce coats a spoon. Turn off the heat, add the veal and its juices and let them warm through in the residual heat for 1 minute, then finish with the lemon juice, the remaining salt and the parsley. Cut the rösti into wedges and serve with plenty of sauce.
Add in this stepDouble cream 120 mlDijon mustard 1 tspLemon juice 1 tspSalt ¼ tspFlat-leaf parsley, chopped 1 tbsp
medium heat
Cook's tip
How dry you squeeze the potatoes decides whether the rösti crisps. If flipping makes you nervous, use a flat lid instead of a plate. If the sauce gets too thick, loosen it with a spoonful of stock or water, and never boil it once the veal is in. Veal tenderloin is most tender when still faintly pink inside.
Cooking it at camp
Rösti works in a cast-iron pan on a gas burner, but heat control is harder, so cook it longer on a lower flame. Grated potatoes turn grey if grated at home, so grate them on site, or bring cooled boiled potatoes and grate those. Keep the veal below 5 °C, and reduce the stock at home to save a lot of time.