Pytt i panne enlivens what’s on hand
In praise of leftovers
Photo: Christy Olsen Field
Pytt i panne is made of leftover meat, potatoes, and sometimes vegetables, pan fried and served with an egg on top.
Christy Olsen Field
Taste of Norway Editor
If you aren’t able to travel to Willard’s for their pytt i panna (that brown butter hollandaise!), you can make your own version at home! Pytt i panne is Nordic comfort food at its best, made of leftover potatoes, meat, and vegetables that are pan fried and served with a fried egg on top.
Pyttipanna has its origins in Sweden (translated as “small pieces in a pan”) and is a beloved dish found throughout Norway as pytt i panne and the other Nordic countries by other names.
Pytt i panne is typically made of diced potatoes, onion, and bacon or leftover meat, and often served with a fried egg, pickled beets, and sometimes lingonberry preserves. It is easily adapted to be vegetarian or vegan. Frozen pytt i panne of many varieties can be purchased in grocery stores across Norway and the Nordic region, but it’s also very easy to make from whatever you have on hand in your pantry or fridge.
For my version, I cut down the amount of meat and added lots more vegetables: Carrots, roasted cauliflower, and sliced cremini mushrooms.
The trick to a good pytt i panne is to cut the pieces all about the same size, and get a good caramelization
God appetit!
Photo: Christy Olsen Field
Pytt i panne:
Norwegian Hash with Sausage and Root Vegetables
3 slices bacon, diced
2 sausages, sliced on bias
1 medium onion, diced
about 4 cups roasted vegetables: (I used carrot, red potatoes, cauliflower & cremini mushrooms)
4 eggs
garnish:
sliced pickled beets
lingonberry preserve
In a large frying pan over medium heat, brown the bacon until the fat is rendered and the bacon is crispy. Remove bacon with a slotted spoon to a paper towel-lined plate. Sauté the sausage until browned, and remove from pan. Sauté the onion with a bit of salt until translucent and beginning to brown. Add in the vegetables, season with salt, and cook for five minutes or so over medium high heat, until heated through and beginning to caramelize.
While the pytt i panne is cooking, cook the eggs sunny side up in a separate frying pan.
Serve with sliced pickled beets and lingonberry preserves on the side. Serves 4.
Christy Olsen Field became the Taste of Norway Editor in April 2019. An enthusiastic home cook and baker, she lives north of Seattle with her husband and two young sons. She is a grantwriter for small nonprofits in the Seattle area. Write to her at food@na-weekly.com.
This article originally appeared in the May 31, 2019, issue of The Norwegian American. To subscribe, visit SUBSCRIBE or call us at (206) 784-4617.
