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FOOD AND DRINK

How to make a Swedish ‘pyttipanna’ fry-up

Swedish meal 'pyttipanna' is a traditional comfort food. Here's The Local's favourite take on the dish, shared by food writer John Duxbury.

How to make a Swedish 'pyttipanna' fry-up
Pyttipanna is often served with a fried egg on the side. Photo: Johan Nilsson/TT

Ingredients

900 g (2 lb) cooked potatoes, peeled

150g (5 oz) smoked bacon

150g (5 oz) leftover meat or smoked ham

150g (5 oz) smoked sausage, such as frankfurters

2 onions

1 tbsp oil

1 tbsp butter

1 tsp fresh thyme, chopped

salt and freshly ground black pepper

1 tbsp fresh herbs such as parsley, to garnish

4 eggs

Method

1. Roughly dice the peeled potatoes, bacon, meat and sausage into 1 cm cubes. Finely chop the onion.

2. Heat a large non-stick frying pan or wok on medium heat. Add the oil and butter and when foaming add the potatoes and onions and fry until golden brown, stirring occasionally.

3. Meanwhile, heat a separate pan and when hot add the diced bacon. When the bacon fat starts to run add the meat, smoked sausage and fresh thyme. Fry until everything is golden brown, giving it an occasional stir and adjusting the heat if it looks as if it might burn.

4. When the meat is cooked, add to the potatoes and mix thoroughly. Taste and add seasoning. It will probably need a good pinch of pepper, but may not require any salt as the bacon is fairly salty.

5. Keep warm while you fry the eggs or you prepare the egg yolks in their shells.

6. Serve on to hot plates, top with an egg, a side serving of pickled beetroot and garnish with fresh herbs.

Tips

– Traditionally the dish is made with leftover cooked potatoes. If you are using uncooked potatoes, increase the cooking time by 10-15 minutes or boil them with their skins on for 15 minutes and then slip their skins off when they are cold.

– Cook in the oven if you are cooking too much for your frying pans. Cook the onions and potatoes in a hot oven for about 20 minutes before adding the rest of the ingredients and cooking for 15 minutes, turning occasionally.

– In Skåne, in southern Sweden, they often stir in 240 ml (1 cup) of whipping cream and a pinch of chopped marjoram just before serving.

Recipe courtesy of John Duxbury, editor and founder of Swedish Food

For members

MALMÖ

Hip, swanky and relaxed: Five wine bars to try in Malmö

Malmö in southern Sweden may be more well known for cheap falafel than upmarket wine bars, but that doesn't mean there's nowhere in the city for you to enjoy a glass (or two...).

Hip, swanky and relaxed: Five wine bars to try in Malmö

Julie

This wine bar in the Gamla Väster neighbourhood – Malmö’s old town – specialises in natural wines, always offering at least 16 still wines, alongside other specialty wines like pet nats, champagne and sherry.

They offer wines by the bottle, with a smaller number of wines available by the glass, with seasonal alcohol-free options available. Food-wise, they do cheese and charcuterie alongside small plates based on locally produced ingredients – look out for their supper clubs with local chefs.

They don’t take reservations with exceptions for special events, like supper clubs, wine tastings or similar.

Although it has the feel of a specialty wine shop, Swedish alcohol laws mean that Julie can’t sell bottles for you to take home, so you’ll have to enjoy their wines on-site. Luckily, you can take home their cheeses and charcuterie.

Prices vary widely depending on the wine. Glasses start at around 65 kronor with food costing around 150-450 kronor.

Address: Tegelgårdsgatan 9

Opening hours: Tues-Thurs 4pm-10pm, Fri-Sat 11.30am-10pm

 
 
 
 
 
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Freja

Freja is a cafe and wine bar in the upmarket Davidshall neighbourhood just off the main shopping street. It opens at 9am (alcohol served from 11am), making it a great place for coffee and breakfast, lunch, or dinner and wine in the evening.

During the warmer months, they have an outdoor serving area on the Davidshall square.

They offer a handful of wines by the glass – reds, whites, orange and rosé, many of which are natural wines – with more on offer by the bottle. 

In terms of food, they do simple small plates, such as focaccia with burrata, mortadella and pistachio pesto, filled almond croissants or avocado toast with Danish Vesterhav cheese. Owner Agnes Hansson’s family own a farm around 40 kilometres east of Malmö in Skåne, where much of the cafe’s produce comes from.

Expect to pay between 80 and 160 kronor for a small plate, slightly less for snacks or desserts.

Address: Davidshallstorg 9

Opening hours: Tues 9am-4pm, Weds-Thurs 9am-9pm, Friday 9am-11pm, Saturday 9am-9pm, Sunday 9am-4pm

 
 
 
 
 
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Aster

This hip wine bar in Varvsstaden in Västra Hamnen may be more well known for its seasonal cocktails and natural wines – many of which are European – but it’s worth a trip for the food, too.

Aster won three awards at the Malmö Gastronomy Awards when it opened in 2021, and it’s easy to see why. There’s a wood-fired oven and grill in the open kitchen, with ingredients often sourced from the restaurant’s own garden.

The menu changes seasonally, and at the time of writing it included dishes such as smoked lamb ribs with kimchi and homegrown veg, grilled halibut with greens served with a white wine and crayfish sauce, as well as veggie dishes with grilled pumpkin, cannellini beans and oyster mushroom.

Expect to pay around 50-100 kronor for nibbles, 150-195 kronor for small dishes, 275-300 kronor for large plates (or 995 kronor for an 800g dry aged sirloin steak). Desserts 75-115 kronor.

Address: Jagaregatan 6

Opening hours: Tues-Thurs 5pm-11:30pm, Friday noon-midnight, Saturday 4pm-midnight

 
 
 
 
 
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Far i Hatten

This charming little restaurant in the middle of Folkets Park started life as a park restaurant with an outdoor dance floor in the late 1800s. 

It’s a strange place in some ways – it’s the perfect place to go for pizza and ice cream with children during the day, situated right next to a huge playground, but at night it transforms into a bustling bar and nightclub with a surprisingly long wine list.

Again, they have a long list of natural wines on offer, but there’s so much to choose from that you’re sure to find something you like no matter your tastes.

The dance floor is still very much in use, too – Far i Hatten hosts regular events and concerts, both for children during the day and for adults later on towards the evening.

Address: Folkets Park 2, Amiralsgatan 35

Opening hours: Tues-Thurs 5pm-11pm, Fri 4pm-1am, Sat noon-1am, Sun noon-8am

 
 
 
 
 
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MJ’s

MJ’s is technically a hotel (it was even crowned Sweden’s Leading Boutique Hotel for 2024), but they have a gorgeous covered indoor courtyard where you can enjoy brunch, lunch or dinner along with a glass of wine from their 11-page wine menu. 

This is sorted not only by type of wine (red, white, rosé, champagne, rosé champagne, cremant and pet nats), but also by country, with organic wines, natural wines, and skin contact wines all marked on the menu.

You can enjoy their wines alongside simple snacks – olives and almonds or a small cheese or charcuterie board – or larger dishes like beef tartare, asparagus with lumpfish roe or haddock sashimi. They also have a number of vegetarian options.

They also have a bar area (The Lobby Bar) which do cocktails and DJ sets on the weekend, and a speakeasy bar (Lillies) open on Friday and Saturday nights. 

Address: Mäster Johansgatan 13 (entrance to Lillies on Isak Slaktaregatan 5)

Opening hours: Restaurant: Lunch Mon-Fri 11:30am-1:30pm, Dinner Mon-Sat 6pm-10pm. Saturdays 1pm-10pm, Sundays noon-3pm. Lillies: Fri-Sat 8pm-1am

 
 
 
 
 
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