Before Moving to New York, Jon and I lived in Warsaw, where Halloween wasn’t such a big deal, but All Souls, the day after Halloween, really, really was. <br /> <br />The entire city seemed to migrate to the graveyards and embark upon a cleaning and decorating project – starting with family graves, then graves near the family graves, then other graves that looked like they needed some care and attention. <br /> <br />By late afternoon, leaves had been swept away, stone work had been cleaned, statues had been scrubbed with toothbrushes, brass railings had been polished, and then, as a final mark of remembrance and respect, votive candles were laid on the ground. <br /> <br />The little flames flickered in the gathering dusk, inviting the passer-by to stop, reflect and remember. <br /> <br />And then we went home to eat potatoes and sour cream. <br /> <br />Potato rosti take me back to Poland in one bite. <br /> <br />Rosti usually involve both grating and frying – both of which can seem like a step too far some days, I know. And honestly, boiled new potatoes cut in half lengthwise and smothered with sour cream and caviar are a delicious alternative. But I’m looking for crunch, so I persevere. <br /> <br />And while I can’t think of a short cut for the grating – though a food-processor will do the job, providing the grater attachment can be located, by which time it would usually have been quicker for me just to grate the potato in the first place – but the frying? Totally. <br /> <br />I bake my rosti in a thin layer in the bottom of muffin tins. This has the added bonus of creating lots of rosti at the same time that are all the same shape – perfect for a party canapé. - MakeThatMakeThis

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