These make terrific vegetarian canapés – or you could make them bigger and serve two or three as a starter. The recipe comes from a Times feature on ‘speedy canapés’ back in 2017 and has been wheeled out for two or three Collier parties since then, so definitely qualifies for inclusion here. The rösti and pesto mixtures can be made up well in advance: all you need to do at the end is the frying.
Also pictured: bruschetta, spinach & feta triangles, chicken katsu goujons, scotch quails’ eggs (salmon & vegetarian chorizo), crab & mango ‘boats’
Makes 20
Ingredients
For the rösti
400g sweet potato, peeled
3 spring onions, trimmed, finely chopped
1 egg
1 tbsp plain flour
1 tbsp grated fresh ginger
10g fresh coriander, finely chopped
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
3 tbsp sunflower oil to fry
For the pesto
15g fresh coriander
1 spring onion, trimmed
20g dry-roasted peanuts
1 tsp sesame oil
1-2 tbsp olive oil
1 green chilli, seeded
To garnish
120ml crème fraîche
Method
To make the pesto, place all the ingredients into a food processor or chop finely by hand to combine well.
Place the sweet potato in a small pan of cold, salted water and boil for 5 minutes. Drain, cool and coarsely grate it into a bowl. Add the other rösti ingredients except the oil, and mix well.
Heat a large frying pan with a little oil. Shape a small rösti patty and fry for 1-2 min on each side to check whether more seasoning is needed. Fry the röstis in two batches. Pack each one together densely so it doesn’t break up, and flatten them as they cook, making sure that there is always a small amount of oil in the frying pan. Keep the heat medium-low so that the röstis do not burn. Allow to cool before topping with a small teaspoon of crème fraîche and some pesto on each rösti.
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Years of Practice 