Popular Nordic Potato Recipes

Nordic Ways to Enjoy the Ubiquituous Spud

By Kari Diehl

Updated 12/09/19

Like the Scots and the Irish, Scandinavians became dependent upon the potato as a major food source in the 18th century.

In Norway, the tuber (native to America) was introduced in the 1760s by Potato Pastors—clergymen who hoped that the "ubiquitous" potato would end hunger permanently in Norway.

It seemed like a good idea at the time: the population doubled. Then, in 1847, the same potato blight that decimated Ireland hit Scandinavia prompting a mass migration to America and its unaffected potato fields.

The potato is still so beloved by Norwegians that they have a saying about a multi-talented individual: Er litt som poteten; kan brukes til det meste ("He is like a potato—good at everything."). Here are four Scandinavian ways to enjoy this most versatile of root vegetables.

  • 01 of 03

    Hasselback Potatoes Recipe

    Hasselback Potatoes

    The Spruce / Elaine Lemm

    Named after the Stockholm restaurant that first introduced them, this Hasselback potatoes recipe have been adopted widely by other European cuisines. Known as “accordion potatoes” in Ireland’s version of the dish.

  • 02 of 03

    Swedish Hash (Pytt i Panna) Recipe

    Swedish hash meal
    Gustaf Brundin / Getty Images

    Swedish hash, pytt i panna, is a great way to use up leftover potatoes and meats. For best results, try to dice the potatoes, onion, and leftover meat into uniform 1/4-inch pieces. The potatoes should be drained of any water and patted dry before cooking.

  • 03 of 03

    Potato Lefse Recipe

    stack of lefse potato flatbread

     siims / Getty Images

    Perhaps no food is more beloved by Norwegians than the potato lefse recipe. Prepared on special lefse griddles and turned with a long lefse stick, this paper-thin potato bread is best served warm with butter and sugar.