Sweet Potato Pytt i Panna
I’d only been in Sweden as an au-pair for a couple of days when I first had Pytt i Panna for supper. Feeling a little lonely I was sitting in the kitchen that was part of the house that was to be my home for the next six months, still a little nervous and finding my way around both my new life and my new family. The room was bright and modern with simple furnishing and the largest fridges I had ever seen in my life, almost walk in size that took up the whole of the back wall. There seemed to be no need for any other cupboards as everything, literally everything, went into the fridge or the equally humungous freezer. Sweden has a slew of recipes for using up the sunday roast, the remainder of which is kept in the cavernous fridges to be frugally used later in the week. Pytt i Panna is one of those dishes.
Sweet Potato Pytt i Panna
It was Gunnar’s turn to cook this simple one pan dish he described as being the height of his cooking skills. Even though it’s a Swedish staple, I’d never had it at home. I watched with delight as my favourite ingredients were added to the pan. Onions cooked until they’re sweet and just turning a gentle golden colour. Bacon for the hit of flavour and salt, with a smokiness that is essential to a good Pytt i Panna. In the old days it would have been the re-cooked smoked reindeer or pork. Then the left over boiled potatoes, cubed and just needing to be browned to give a crispness to the dish.
Carefully spooned into bowls, hot straight from the pan with a hollow created in the centre of each pile of potato it was wonderful comfort food. Then to my utter horror a raw egg yolk was gently slipped into the centre. Fresh, bright and shiny it was definitely raw. Everyone picked up their forks and gently whisked it in, creating an unctuous sauce for the dish which cooked in the residual heat. Reluctantly I copied them discovering that the egg quickly disappeared and was replaced by a scant but rich dressing, making this dish flavour perfection. It didn’t remind me of home but it now always reminds me of Sweden.
I made mine with sweet potato but otherwise stuck to a traditional recipe, each family has their own tweak but it’s essentially a four ingredient dish. If you don’t want to use the raw yolk substitute a poached egg instead.
RECIPE
Sweet Potato Pytt i Panna
- 2 tbsp olive oil
- 15g butter
- 1 large onion finely diced
- 2 large Sweet potatoes, diced
- 160g Smoked pamcetta, diced
- 3 sprigs thyme
- 2 egg yolks
- Melt the butter and half the olive oil in a pan, add the onions and cook until just turning golden brown. Add the pancetta and the thyme leaves and cook until the pancetta is just starting to crisp.
- Remove from the pan and add the remaining olive oil, add the sweet potato in a single layer and leave, undisturbed, over a moderate heat until browned on the underside. If you keep poking at the sweet potato it will break up and may go to mush.
- Turn the potato and cook again until the underside has browned, add the pancetta and the onions back into the pan and mix together carefully.
- Divide between two bowls and make a dip in the centre and gently add the egg to the centre of the dish, serve immediately and whisk the egg into the sweet potato
It looks simple yet impressive! I love the presentation and that beautiful copper pan!
That’s the great thing about this recipe, you can dress it up. GG
I’ve never heard of this dish – and it’s right up my street! I can imagine your horror at the raw yolk but can also imagine how delicious it is. Thanks for sharing this one – love it… and beautiful pic too.
Thanks Sally, I’m over the egg thing now and like you just see how delicious it makes the dish. GG
This is a new dish for me! I’d be afraid of the raw egg yolk too but I can also see where it would make a lovely, rich dressing. Your photos show how beautifully simple this dish is, GG. Looks fab!
Thanks Nazneen. A poached egg is fab too, or just leave the egg out, it’s still a delicious savoury treat. GG
That copper pan is sooooooooo pretty. Going out to buy me some stat. Love the dish too, especially the sweet potato, so much obsession with that vegetable. 🙂
The copper pan is from Waitrose Supermarket. Ideal for single servings or sharing servings of side dishes. GG
Ooh I’ve never heard of this dish although truthfully my knowledge of Swedish food is quite limited to their cakes and baked goods (plus errm Ikea) but I love the sound of this GG! 😀
It seems most people come across the Swedish baked recipes. I’m trying to show a wider variety of what we used to have. GG
Simple, rustic, and delicious! Love traditional recipes like this!
So easy and tasty too. GG
GG this just looks like the sort of dish that Is just so perfect for sharing.
Exactly, it makes a great main or a fab side dish to share. GG
What a delicious way to eat sweet potato. I can’t get enough of sweet potato at the moment.
Me either, I love it in these little chunks and it’s so good for you. GG
Love this dish which is very similar to a Danish dish called Bikesmad – dishes with leftovers are always such a winner and even more delicious:-) I’m sure we had a Swedish aupair when I was a kid so I expect they would have cooked this with my mum:-)
Left over dishes are really tasty, they’ve had time for all the flavours to develop. GG
I can imagine the raw yolk cooking slightly in the heat of the potatoes and going all creamy – relish with the salty bacon and sweet potatoes.
I couldn’t have put it better, a very yummy dish. GG
Hi GG, what an amazing dish, you hit all the notes on this one. An egg on top always elevates a dish.
Thanks Cheri, I agree there’s always a bit of richness with an egg. GG
I’m not sure about the raw egg bit, but my goodness it looks wonderful and those colours together with the copper pan are just fab.
Thanks Choclette, you can always lave the egg off. GG
I’m not sure about the egg bit full stop, but otherwise it looks wonderful. And what a lovely story!
Thanks Fiona, It works without an egg too. GG