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Potatisbullar - Swedish potato cakes - served with cranberries and bacon - Diversivore.com
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Potatisbullar (Swedish Potato Cakes)

These simple, comforting, crispy-on-the-outside, creamy-on-the-inside potato cakes are made with lightly mashed potatoes, eggs, and flour, fried until golden and baked to finish. They make a wonderful addition to any meal of the day, and are particularly popular with bacon and lingonberries!
The recipe can easily be halved.
Course Main Course, Main Dishes, Side Dish
Cuisine European, Swedish
Keyword swedish potato cakes, swedish potatoes, swedish side dishes
Prep Time 15 minutes
Cook Time 50 minutes
Servings 20 cakes
Calories 70kcal

Ingredients

  • 2 lbs Yukon gold potatoes or similar (see note)
  • 1 large yellow onion (~250 g)
  • 1/2 cup all-purpose flour (60 g)
  • 2 large eggs
  • 1/2 tsp salt
  • pepper to taste
  • 2 tbsp butter for frying
  • 1 tbsp vegetable oil for frying

To Serve (All Optional)

  • bacon
  • lingonberry jam or cranberry jam/preserves
  • spring greens
  • sour cream

Instructions

  • Peel and chop the potatoes into large pieces. Drop them over into a large pot filled with cold water and about 1 tsp of salt. Bring the pot to a boil and cook until the potatoes are soft and easily pierced with a knife. (large pieces) and boil potatoes; mash or grate coarsely (you want some texture). Allow to cool.
  • Thoroughly drain the cooked potatoes, then coarsely mash them with a fork or potato masher (see note for variation). Set them aside to cool somewhat.
  • Finely dice the onion. Add the onion, flour, eggs, salt, and pepper to the mashed potatoes. Mix well.
  • Preheat oven to 300°F (150°C).
  • Heat about 1.5 tbsps of butter and 1 tbsp of oil in a a large skillet over medium heat on the stove top.
  • Wet your hands thoroughly, then form the mixture into small balls (about the size of a large egg). Don't worry if they're particularly sticky. Drop the balls into the pan - and fry in butter until golden brown and easy to flip - about 3 minutes per side. Don't overcrowd the pan.
  • Transfer the fried cakes to a baking sheet. Repeat with remaining batter, adding a little more butter and oil whenever the pan begins to get a bit dry.
  • Place the baking tray in the oven and bake for about 15-20 minutes (but see note on potato varieties), or until the cakes are well-set but still creamy inside. If you cook a full batch, I recommend frying enough to fill a single tray, then placing these in the oven while you fry more cakes for a second tray.
  • Serve the finished cakes warm, with prepared sides.

Notes

Potato Variety Note - I used Yukon Gold potatoes for this recipe.  These delicious all-purpose potatoes are somewhat waxy, and retain much more moisture than a floury russet potato.  Because of this, they make for a wet batter that can't be easily formed into patties.  The finished potato cakes are crispy on the outside and creamy on the inside, but do require the additional baking time noted in the instructions.  If you choose, you can substitute a floury potato variety (e.g. a russet).  These potatoes fall apart much more when cooked, and yield a dryer, lighter mash.  The resulting batter can be formed into patties much more easily, and yields a softer, airier, more uniform potato cake with a crispy exterior.  Potatisbullar made with floury potatoes may require very little baking after the frying stage, or even none at all.
Potato ricer variation - I like some texture inside the finished potato cakes, so I coarsely mash the potatoes with a fork.  If you want a softer and more uniform interior, you can run the potatoes through a ricer to get a fine mash.
Optional add-ins note (fennel seed, parsley, nutmeg)

Nutrition

Serving: 1potato cake | Calories: 70kcal | Carbohydrates: 11g | Protein: 2g | Fat: 2g | Saturated Fat: 1g | Cholesterol: 15mg | Sodium: 76mg | Potassium: 210mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 1g | Vitamin A: 53IU | Vitamin C: 9mg | Calcium: 9mg | Iron: 1mg