Pyttipanna. Bubble and squeak. Hash. It all amounts to a similar idea. An often random gathering of vegetables, meats and flavourings tossed in a pan to heat through, add some roasted flavour and liven up often leftover bits of food.
I love doing this idea for brunch because it’s quick, easy and it’s a great way to vary flavours and ingredients one thing at a time.
In the winter months, root vegetables are in abundance. I always love to have a variety of them available. Rutabaga for their sweet corn and parsley essence. Carrots for their often candy-like sweetness and versatility. Parsnips for their slightly peppery but buttery texture when steamed or blanched. I seem to go through these ones the most. Stews, soups, sandwich fillings. And the perfect base for a hash, or the Swedish variant, Pyttipanna, which is automatically served with fried eggs.
Traditionally, Pyttipanna has bacon or some kind of smoked meat, but I decided on a meatless variation today. To compliment the vegetables and add an extra savoury and almost smoky element, I tossed it at the last minute in dried spices and toasted it all together. Pairing it with a sour cream-spiked version of the French classic Leek Fondue, gave it an extra richness that has levels of extra warming comfort to carry you through those chilly December days. Enjoy!!
Spiced Root Vegetable Pyttipanna with Leek Fondue:
For the Leek Fondue:
2 Tbsp cold pressed camelina oil
2 leeks, dark green parts removed, remainder split in half lengthwise, cleaned and sliced
1/4 cup red onions, thinly sliced
1/2 cup chicken/vegetable stock
1/4 cup sour cream
For the Spiced Root Vegetable Pyttipanna:
2 tsp cold pressed camelina oil
1 cup peeled and chopped rutabaga (1cm(1/2″) chunks)
1/2 cup peeled and chopped parsnips
1/2 cup chopped carrots
1 red chilli, thinly sliced
1 tsp ground cumin
1/2 tsp sweet Hungarian paprika
To serve:
2 tsp cold pressed camelina oil
2 tsp butter
4 eggs
4 pieces of toasted rye bread
To prepare the Leek Fondue, heat up the oil in a large sauté pan over medium high heat. Add the leeks and red onion, stir to coat everything in oil, reduce the heat to low and cover with a lid. Stir occasionally for 15-20 minutes until the leeks and onions soften and become golden in places. Add the chicken stock and sour cream. Stir until there is a smooth consistency then turn up the heat to medium high. Stir fairly regularly for another 7-10 minutes until most of the liquid has reduced, leaving a very creamy coating on the leeks and onions. Set aside and keep warm.
For the Pyttipanna, cook the rutabaga, carrots and parsnips in boiling water for about 10 minutes. Drain and add the blanched vegetables to a pan with the 2 teaspoons of oil over medium high heat. Allow the vegetables to pan roast, tossing and stirring them every minute or two for 7-10 minutes or until they start to toast a light golden colour. Add the chilli and sauté for another minute or two. Add the cumin and paprika, stir and toss the vegetables to coat them in the spices. Toast over medium high heat for another minute and take off the heat. Keep warm while you fry the eggs.
To serve, fry the eggs two at a time in a teaspoon of oil and butter. Place the two eggs in the centre of the plate, surround it with Spiced Root Vegetable Pyttipanna and spoon some Leek Fondue along the bottom so your plate looks like a bundled up little child on a winter’s day!!
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