Pytt i Panna Swedish Hash

By
Kari Diehl
Kari Diehl
Freelance food writer who specializes in Scandinavian cuisine and is the author of "The Everything Nordic Cookbook."
Learn about The Spruce Eats' Editorial Process
Updated on 12/12/22
Gustaf Brundin/Getty Images
Prep: 15 mins
Cook: 25 mins
Total: 40 mins
Servings: 5 to 6 servings
Nutrition Facts (per serving)
479 Calories
15g Fat
60g Carbs
27g Protein
Show Full Nutrition Label Hide Full Nutrition Label
×
Nutrition Facts
Servings: 5 to 6
Amount per serving
Calories 479
% Daily Value*
Total Fat 15g 20%
Saturated Fat 6g 29%
Cholesterol 236mg 79%
Sodium 759mg 33%
Total Carbohydrate 60g 22%
Dietary Fiber 6g 22%
Total Sugars 5g
Protein 27g
Vitamin C 27mg 134%
Calcium 79mg 6%
Iron 4mg 24%
Potassium 1732mg 37%
*The % Daily Value (DV) tells you how much a nutrient in a food serving contributes to a daily diet. 2,000 calories a day is used for general nutrition advice.
(Nutrition information is calculated using an ingredient database and should be considered an estimate.)

A traditional Swedish dish, pytt i panna translates to "small pieces in a pan." This recipe was created to use up the leftovers from the night before, which most often were meat and potatoes. The ingredients are chopped up and fried together, creating a hearty and satisfying dish that is usually enjoyed for dinner, but it can also be eaten at breakfast or brunch.

Although pytt i panna was created to use up last night's meal, you can make this dish from scratch. By nature, the dish is flexible, depending on what you have in the fridge, so use this recipe as a guide; it calls for bacon, cooked potato, onion, and leftover meat, which are fried together in a pan. Almost any type of meat will work, including cooked lamb, steak, smoked sausage, or ham. To finish the dish, eggs are fried separately and placed on top of the hash.

For the best results, dice the potatoes, onion, and leftover meat into uniform 1/4-inch pieces. The potatoes should also be drained of any water and patted dry before adding to the pan. Feel free to use other leftover vegetables such as carrots and parsnips, and add fresh herbs such as thyme, chives, or parsley. Pytt i panna (often written as pyttipanna) is traditionally served with pickled beetroot (inlagda rödbetor) and sometimes pickled gherkin called saltgurka.

Ingredients

  • 6 slices bacon

  • 6 to 8 cooked potatoes, peeled and diced into uniform pieces

  • 2 tablespoons butter

  • 1 medium onion, diced into uniform pieces (about 1 cup)

  • 1 to 2 cups leftover meat (lamb, steak, ham, or pork), diced into uniform pieces

  • 5 to 6 eggs

Steps to Make It

  1. Gather the ingredients.

  2. Finely dice the bacon and fry over medium heat in a large pan until crisp (cast iron works well for this). Remove the cooked bacon from the pan and drain off all but 1/4 cup of bacon grease.

  3. Add the diced potatoes to the pan and stir-fry in the bacon fat until browned and crisp; remove from the pan and set aside.

  4. Melt the butter in the pan; add the chopped onion and sauté just until softened.

  5. Add the chopped meat and brown, for about 5 minutes. Reduce the heat to low and return the bacon and potatoes to the pan, mixing all of the ingredients and heating until warm.

  6. Meanwhile, in a separate pan, fry the eggs sunny-side up.

  7. Transfer the hash to individual plates and crown each serving with a fried egg.

  8. Serve and enjoy.

Raw Egg Warning

Consuming raw and lightly-cooked eggs poses a risk of food-borne illness.

Recipe Variation

To make a vegetarian version of pytt i panna, cut the amount of potatoes in half and add other root vegetables such as parsnips, carrots, sweet potatoes, beets, or celeriac. To make up for the richness of the bacon and meat, saute some mushrooms and add a few drops of vegan Worcestershire sauce.