Brændende kærlighed
Danish Burning Love- Yield
- Serves 2
- Active
- 25 minutes
- Total
- About 40 minutes
- Difficulty
- Easy
The story
Brændende kærlighed means burning love, and nobody knows for certain where the name came from. Danish cooks usually tie it to the scalding mash and the bacon that comes sizzling out of the pan, and Madens Verden, one of Denmark's large recipe sites, says plainly that the exact explanation is unknown. No courtship custom or wedding role is recorded for the dish; it simply has a romantic name. What it is, by every account, is everyday Danish home cooking. The dairy cooperative Arla calls it mormormad, grandmother's food, for autumn and winter evenings, and it comes in countless family versions: with or without nutmeg in the mash, with bacon or with salt pork fat, sometimes with a white sauce. The usual partner is sweet pickled beets, whose acidity cuts through the butter and fat, with a slice of dense rye bread on the side. Valentine's Day has gained ground in Denmark since the 1990s, after florists tried and failed to introduce it in the 1950s, though it has not reached the status it has in the United States. Plate it straight from the stove and pour a cold lager alongside.
Ingredients
- For the mashed potatoes:
- 1 1/4 lb floury potatoes, such as russets, peeled and cut into 2-inch chunks
- 1/2 cup whole milk, warmed
- 2 tablespoons butter
- 1/2 teaspoon salt, plus more to taste
- A pinch of freshly grated nutmeg
- For the topping:
- 7 oz thick-cut or slab bacon, cut into 1/2-inch pieces
- 1 teaspoon butter
- 2 medium yellow onions, halved and thinly sliced
- Freshly ground black pepper
- For the plate:
- 2 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley or chives
- 1/2 cup sliced pickled beets, drained
- 2 slices dense rye bread (optional)
Method
- Put the potatoes in a saucepan, add cold water just to cover and bring to a boil. Simmer until very tender when pierced with a knife, 15 to 20 minutes.
- Meanwhile, cook the bacon in a large skillet over medium heat, stirring now and then, until golden and nearly crisp, 8 to 10 minutes.
- Add the butter and onions to the skillet, spread them out and cook over medium heat, stirring occasionally, until the onions are soft and lightly caramelized and the bacon is crisp, about 10 minutes. Season with pepper and keep warm over very low heat.
- Drain the potatoes and return them to the hot pan over low heat for a minute to steam off excess moisture.
- Mash the potatoes with a hand masher or whisk, then beat in the butter and warm milk a little at a time until smooth and soft. Do not use an electric mixer, which makes the mash gluey. Season with the salt, nutmeg and more salt to taste.
- Spoon the hot mash onto warm plates, make a hollow in the center and pile the bacon and onions on top with some of their fat. Sprinkle with parsley and serve at once with the pickled beets and rye bread.
Note: Serve it the moment it is plated, while the mash is hot and the bacon still crisp. Leftovers keep 2 to 3 days in the refrigerator.