Raggmunk med Stekt Fläsk
Raggmunk med Stekt Fläsk
Husmanskost (The Honest Weeknight Skillet)
You don't need tweezers for Swedish husmanskost; a proper raggmunk relies on a crepe-like batter to bind the russet potatoes, yielding a hearty interior with violently crispy, lacy edges. Poured a quarter-inch thick into a cast-iron skillet, it demands the rich, salty crunch of rendered pork and the sharp, bright slap of lingonberries to cut through the fat. Fry until the pork fat pops, then drop the jar of lingonberry jam right on the table.
Ingredients
- thick-cut bacon1 lb
- all-purpose flour1 cup
- whole milk1 1/2 cup
- egg1 large
- kosher salt1 tsp
- Yukon Gold potatoes1 3/4 lb
- unsalted butter2 tbsp
- neutral oil1 tbsp
- lingonberry jam1/2 cup
Method
- 01
Render the pork and reserve the fat.
Place a large cast-iron skillet over medium heat, fry the bacon until perfectly crispy, then transfer the meat to a warm oven. Pour the rendered bacon fat into a bowl, leaving just a slick of it in the pan—this liquid gold is the secret to an authentic raggmunk.
- 02
Whisk the batter before touching the potatoes.
In a large bowl, whisk the flour, salt, and half the milk into a thick paste to prevent lumps, then whisk in the remaining milk and the egg. Doing this first ensures the potatoes won't sit around and oxidize into an unappetizing grey.
- 03
Grate the potatoes and squeeze them completely dry.
Grate the potatoes on the coarse side of a box grater, then grab them by the handful and squeeze them forcefully over the sink to expel as much water as possible. If you skip this, your pancakes will steam instead of fry.
- 04
Fold the potatoes into the batter.
Immediately drop the squeezed potato shreds into the waiting milk batter and stir well to coat them completely.
- 05
Fry the pancakes in bacon fat and butter.
Return the skillet to medium heat, add a spoonful of the reserved bacon fat, a pat of butter, and a splash of neutral oil to prevent burning. Ladle about 1/4 cup of batter into the foaming fat, spreading it as thinly as possible with a spatula to guarantee lacy, bristly edges.
- 06
Fry until deeply golden, then serve immediately.
Let it cook for 2 to 3 minutes until the bottom is deeply browned and crisp, then flip and fry for another 2 minutes. Keep the finished pancakes warm while you fry the rest, then serve them piping hot with the crispy bacon and a heavy dollop of lingonberry jam.
Notes
Level up with raw-stirred lingonberries.
If you can find frozen whole lingonberries, skip the jarred jam. Stir 2 cups of frozen berries with 3/4 cup of granulated sugar vigorously at room temperature until the berries crush, defrost, and form a bright, tart relish known as rårörda lingon.