Maluns
The classic Bündner dish Maluns is made up of buttery potato niblets, served with cheese, apple or cranberry sauce, and milky coffee.
The history of Maluns are forever intertwined with Marschlins Castle, near Landquart in canton Graubunden.
It was at Marschlins that Johann Gubert Rudolf von Salis planted the first corn and potatoes in the canton. These New World crops had been making their way around the continent, and it was in 1717 that von Salis began to cultivate them in earnest (this 300 year anniversary was even celebrated at the castle last year with a symbolic harvest and potato menus in local restaurants).
From this initial Bündner potato harvest eventually came Maluns, a way to use up leftover boiled spuds and reflective of the hearty meals that would benefit the hard labour of the time.
Recipes are pretty similar—mix your day-old potatoes (top chef Andreas Caminada says two day old tubers) with flour, then fry. Some suggest a floury potato, like you would use for mashed potatoes, but I used Gschwellti (which are typically made with a firmer potato) and it worked well. The Graubünden tourism website has a similar, simple recipe.
1 kg boiled potatoes
300 g flour
nutmeg, salt and pepper
butter
To serve:
apple or cranberry sauce, cheese
Peel and grate your boiled potatoes. By hand, mix them with the flour, nutmeg, salt and pepper.
In a large frying pan, heat a big knob of butter. When it's spluttering, add the potatoes.
Using two wooden spoons, continue stirring and breaking up the potatoes until they are little golden nubs. If they start to stick, just add a bit more butter. This can take up to a good half hour.
So, you might not have a whole kilo of potatoes, but just remember 30 g of flour for every 100 g of potatoes.
The kind of potatoes that you would use for Gschwellti (the boiled spuds that accompany raclette, fondue or chäs) are good for Maluns and easy to grate after a night in the fridge.
Generally Maluns are served with apple or cranberry sauce, as well as mountain cheeses and milky coffee. Maybe a nice sausage on the side. I quite enjoy them with a runny sunny side up eggs. Plate of perfection pictured below.
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