Pytt i panne is a Norwegian everyday classic dish I probably would most closely compare to Asian stir fry, or a British bubble and squeak, or even a good old American hash. Made up of leftovers, it typically consists of fried potatoes, onions, and meat.

Pytt i panne loosely translates to ‘small pieces in a pan’, and that’s exactly what it is. Pytt also indirectly means “everything is going to be ok”, and perhaps that is what they refer to with this dish, as not much can go wrong when you throw in a little bit of this and that.

The Danish refer to pytt i panne as biksemad (bikse means to mix in Danish) and is often served with a sunny side up egg on top. Using leftovers has been a big and important tradition and way of cooking in Norway, making the most of the food and presenting meals in slightly different ways.

What I love about pytt i panne is that it is simple to make and with ingredients that most people can find and typically have lying around. It’s the sort of dinner you whip up in minutes on a Tuesday night and make everyone around you incredibly happy and impressed without having to go to too much trouble.

When I first met my husband, he was working as a chef at Restaurant Aquavit in Manhattan and I was surprised to learn that not only did he know of this dish but they actually served it at the restaurant!

They would serve it with HP sauce, but Worcestershire sauce or ketchup is also common, alongside thick slices of rustic bread.

You can add in some greens if you’d like, like spinach, kale, or swiss chard for extra color and nutrition, and replace any of the vegetables I’ve listed below. One tip I’d like to give is to make sure you dice the vegetables the same size, to ensure even cooking in the pan.

I chose to add in some Beyond meat sausages because I love the flavor, but you can add in lentils, beans, quinoa, tofu, tempeh…you get my point.

What I’d absolutely include for an authentic feel are the onions and potatoes–the rest are interchangeable.

It’s a wonderful way to use up some of the ingredients you have in your fridge, and I don’t know of anyone who wouldn’t be happy getting this quick and easy meal served for dinner!

Pytt-i-Panne

Serves 4

1 tbsp olive oil
1 tbsp vegan butter
4 Beyond Meat sausages, sliced
1 large red onion, diced
1 leek, sliced thin
1 red bell pepper, diced
2 carrots (or other root vegetable), peeled and diced small
8 oz shiitake mushrooms, sliced
1 lb (450 g) potatoes, diced and cooked
2 tbsp Dijon mustard or brown spicy mustard
2 tbsp soy sauce
1 tsp maple syrup
Juice of ½ lemon
Kosher salt and pepper to taste

Garnish
Horseradish cream (recipe to follow)
Pickled beets
Chopped fresh parsley

In a large saute pan, heat the olive oil and vegan butter over medium-high heat, add in the sausages (straight from the freezer), and saute on all sides until golden brown and cooked through.

Keeping the oil in the pan, transfer the sausages to a bowl, and set aside.

To the pan, add the red onion, leek, red bell pepper, and carrots. Saute for 3-4 minutes until lightly golden and translucent. Transfer to the bowl with the sausages.

Add the shiitake mushrooms to the pan with a few cracks of black pepper and saute for 3-4 minutes.

Return the sausage and sauteed vegetables to the pan, along with the potatoes, Dijon mustard, soy sauce, maple syrup, and fresh lemon juice. Stir until well combined and cook for another couple of minutes to heat through.

Serve with horseradish cream, pickled beets, and chopped fresh parsley.

Horseradish Cream

1 cup raw cashews, soaked in water for at least 2 hours
1 cup water
1 tsp maple syrup
2 tbsp horseradish
Salt and pepper

Drain the raw cashews from the soaking water, rinse, and place in a high-speed blender with the water and maple syrup and puree until smooth and creamy. Pour into a bowl and add in the horseradish, combine well and taste.

Season with salt and pepper.

Keeps in an airtight container for about one week.