Sizing down Potato Rösti

With the luxury of time to try out a different recipe almost every time I cook, almost everyday is a good day when it comes to dinner time (and sometimes even lunch time). No more avoiding eating that chicken rice, just because I had it 3 days ago.

But we certainly do not want all the goodness of our diet to go to our waist. So portion control is a concept that we are working on (and what everyone should).

Portion sizes have definitely gone up. And a plate of char kuay teow in kiwiland is worth two in Singapore. That Starbucks grande cafe mocha with whip today contains as much calories as a full meal, and four times bigger than a cup of coffee than 20 years ago.

We reckon the reason why French restaurants use large plates but give small portions, is so that the diners can enjoy a full complete course of food without being 110% full: from appetizer, salad, main course to cheese and their favourite dessert.

So we may have bought two new large plates to enhance the presentation of our food, but doesn't mean we are going to fill it up entirely. The above plate of Baked Salmon, Broccoli with Anchovy Rosemary Sauce and Potato Rösti actually fed both of us. And we still had space for some cheese and a slice of Lemon Cake, recipe courtesy of joyofbaking.com after the dinner.

On the Lemon Cake, it was alright, but somewhat lacking in oomph. It's important to make the lemon frosting even though we made too little and too thinly. To make icing sugar, grind castor sugar on a mortar board, as Rémi insisted and did.
(Afternote: adding freshly squeezed orange juice enhances the taste and texture of the cake)

Preparing Baked Salmon was very straightforward: rub it with salt, sprinkle some lemon juice and drizzle with olive oil. Pop it into the oven at 200C for about 10-15 minutes and it's done.

Broccoli with Anchovy Rosemary Sauce and Potato Rösti comes from Jamie's guide to making us a better cook. But Rémi simplified the steps for making the Rösti. The Rösti was thin and crispy and I wished I could have more. But it's easy to indulge on too much potatoes, especially that upsized pack of French Fries or plate of Wedges from the pub. So be bold in adjusting quantities in recipes to fit your waist.

Potato Rösti
serves two small eaters

2 small potatoes, peeled and cut into matchsticks.
olive oil
knob of butter
salt and pepper to tase
a few sprigs of rosemary leaves
2 cloves of garlic, peeled

On a non-stick frying pan, heat some olive oil. Add butter and toss the potatoes with a pinch of salt and pepper, rosemary leaves and whole garlic cloves. Fry on medium heat until the potatoes are soft and cooked.

Gather the potatoes into shape, and using a suitable size plate, press down on the potatoes to flatten it. When the underside is crispy, flip and press down to flatten on the other side.