Found in abundance along riverbanks and in woody areas from late March to early May, wild garlic is a spring, foraging staple. Its flavour is milder than its cousin, the garlic bulb, but equally as delicious. We’ve used it to put a twist on the humble rösti – a hearty accompaniment to a wholesome fried egg.
Prep time 10 minutes | Cook time 15 minutes | Serves 2
2-3 (roughly 400g) large potatoes, scrubbed (we recommend Wilja, King Edward or Maris Piper)
Sea salt
Freshly ground black pepper
A generous handful of wild garlic leaves
3 tablespoons olive oil
2 knobs of butter
2 Stonegate Estate Organic eggs
Begin by coarsely grating the potatoes (no need to peel them), then use your hands to squeeze out the starchy liquid from the flesh. Once you’ve squeezed out as much liquid as possible, place it in a bowl and season generously with salt and pepper. Roughly chop half of the wild garlic and add this to the mix, then use your hands to tumble everything together.
Heat 2 tablespoons of olive oil in a medium, non-stick frying pan over a medium–high heat. Scatter in the potato mixture, creating an even layer in the pan. Use the back of a spatula to press it down so the top is relatively smooth, and you have an even shape.
Once you’ve got a nice, flat layer and you can hear it sizzling away, turn the heat right down to low. Cook the rösti for around 7 minutes, occasionally pressing it down with a spatula.
After 7 minutes, drop a little butter round the edges of the pan. As it melts and bubbles away, it’ll help crisp the underside of the rösti and make it lovely and golden. When the underside has reached this stage, flip over the rösti. If you’re having trouble, invert it out of the pan onto a plate, then slide it from the plate back into the pan and allow to cook for 7 more minutes.
Once the rösti is cooked, slide it out onto a board or plate.
Set the pan back over the heat and add the remaining olive oil and the butter. Then, when it’s bubbling away, carefully crack in the eggs, season them lightly with sea salt and a little cracked black pepper. Add the last of the wild garlic to the pan and baste the eggs with the bubbling butter, or carefully turn the eggs over – if you prefer.
When they are done to your liking, lift the eggs out onto the rösti and bring to the table.
