Bacon Rosti

• 3 or 4 red potatoes
• 5 slices of bacon
• Plain cooking spray

Scrub the potatoes, cover with water in a saucepan, add a little salt, and bring up to a boil. Leave them at a low boil for 10 minutes. Drain them in a colander and allow them to cool until easily handled.

Slice the raw bacon slices into bits, then fry in a skillet. It should foam up just before it’s done. Drain on paper towels.

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.

Peel the potatoes and coarsely shred them. If you have a food processor with a shredding attachment, use it; this takes a little while by hand. Add the bacon to the potatoes, as well as a bit of salt and pepper. Mix well.

Lightly grease a nonstick, ovenproof skillet with cooking spray. Turn the potato mixture into the skillet and spread out flat; brown the underside over medium-high or high heat. Then put the pan into the oven for 15 minutes.

Remove the pan from the oven (remember the handle will be hot!). If the pan is particularly non-stick and has sloping sides, it may be easiest to slide the rosti onto a plate, flip it onto another plate so that it’s bottom-side up, and then slide it back into the skillet so the browned side is on top. Be careful, as the rosti is a little fragile. If your skillet isn’t nonstick enough, or the sides aren’t sloped enough, then carefully turn the rosti out directly onto the plate, and slide it back into the pan, browned side up. If the pan needs it you can spray it a little more before putting the rosti back in.

Put the rosti back in the oven and cook for another 10-15 minutes. You can serve it directly from the pan, or you can slide it out onto a plate first.