Top Chef’s Kristen Kish Shares Her Recipe for a Vegetable Rösti

Claire Stern
Updated

After earning a degree in culinary arts from the prestigious Le Cordon Bleu in Chicago, Kristen Kish competed on Season 10 of Top Chef and became the second female to ever win the show. The South Korean-born, Michigan-bred chef’s crowd-pleasing recipes reflect her varied backstory. “I’m a mix of everything,” she says. “I use classic techniques, but I draw from a range of influences.” Her healthy take on the traditional Swiss rösti is just one example.

Get the recipe below—but first, Kish gives us a glance at her cooking routine.

INGREDIENT OF THE MOMENT...

“Right now I’m into quenepas, a Latin American fruit that’s similar to a lychee.”

PLAYLIST PICKS...

“When I’m cooking, I listen to a lot of Gallant and Van Morrison. I enjoy an upbeat atmosphere.”

RELATED: How to Make Jeremy Ford’s Top Chef-Winning Recipe at Home

IDEAL FALL MENU...

“Roast chicken, squash custard, a vegetable rösti, and a bourbon on the rocks.”

CHEF UNIFORM...

“A short-sleeve button-down shirt from Uniqlo, black Rag & Bone jeans, Frye boots, and a Hedley & Bennett apron.”

RELATED: 7 Make-Ahead Appetizers from Celebrity Chefs

For more stories like this, pick up the October issue of InStyle, available on newsstands, on Amazon, and for digital download Sept. 15

DEAD-OF-WINTER VEGETABLE RÖSTI

Yields: 8 servings

Ingredients

  • 8 ounces Idaho or russet potatoes, peeled and grated

  • 4 ounces red or golden beets, peeled and grated

  • 4 ounces rutabaga, peeled and grated (about 12 cups)

  • 4 ounces butternut squash, peeled and grated (about 1 cup)

  • ¼ cup grated Gruyère

  • ¼ cup golden raisins, plumped in warm water and then drained

  • 1 teaspoon caraway seeds, toasted and finely ground

  • 1 teaspoon chopped fresh rosemary

  • 3 tablespoons cornstarch

  • 1 large egg

  • 1 teaspoon kosher salt

  • ½ teaspoon black pepper

  • 2 tablespoons unsalted butter

  • 1 tablespoon olive oil

  • 4 eggs, cooked sunny-side up (optional)

  • 2 large egg yolks

  • Grated zest of 1 lemon (about 1 teaspoon)

  • 1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice

  • 1 garlic clove

  • ¼ cup extra-virgin olive oil

  • ¼ cup canola oil

Directions

  1. 1. To make the rösti: Preheat the oven to 400°F.

  2. 2. In a medium bowl, combine the potatoes, beets, rutabaga, squash, cheese, drained raisins, caraway seeds, rosemary, cornstarch, egg, salt, and pepper.

  3. 3. Heat a large cast-iron or heavy-bottomed ovenproof sauté pan over high heat. Add butter and oil, swirling to coat.

  4. 4. Add the vegetable mix to the pan, spreading it out to form a large, thin pancake. Let it sit on high heat until it just starts to brown around the edges, 3-4 minutes. Transfer the pan to the oven and bake until lightly browned on top and crisp throughout, 10-12 minutes. Cut it into wedges.

  5. 5. To make the aioli: Combine the egg yolks, zest, lemon juice, garlic, and salt in a blender. Pulse for 10 seconds. Switch to medium speed and very slowly begin to stream in the oils. You’re doing a dance here: You don’t want the mixture to break, but you want to incorporate all the oil, both olive and canola. If it’s too thick to blend properly, slowly add water, one teaspoon at a time.

  6. 6. Serve the rösti with a big dollop of aioli on top with the sunny-side eggs, if desired.

Source:

Kristen Kish Cooking