Hunker down with a Hunka Hunka Burning Love recipe

OK, so this is not really called Hunka Hunka Burning Love (I just love Elvis) – it’s just Burning Love. Why that name? Nobody really knows – but as it’s an old Danish farmer’s dish, some say it’s because mash and bacon are real comfort foods, full of love and good warm-belly feelings. This is a super-simple dish, and one to add to your Nordic midweek meal repertoire.

The original version is mashed potato with fried bacon pieces on top – that’s it. When I make this at home, I like to add a bit more flavour and so I tend to make a parsnip and potato mash and I add some veg to the meat to bulk it out a bit. You can vary as you prefer.

Serves 2

• Butter and oil, for frying
• 50g shallots, chopped
• 50g carrot, chopped
• 1 stick celery, chopped
• 2 spring onions, chopped, white and green parts separated
• 150g lardons or pancetta pieces (smoked or unsmoked)
• Freshly chopped parsley, to garnish

For the potato and parsnip mash

• 250g potatoes, peeled
• 250g parsnips, peeled
• 50ml tablespoons cream
• 50ml-100ml milk
• 1 bay leaf
• ½ onion, leave in one piece but peeled
• A sprig of thyme
• A pinch of grated nutmeg
• 25g tablespoons butter
• ½tsp horseradish cream (optional)
• ½-1tsp Dijon mustard, to taste
• Salt and freshly ground black pepper

To make the mash, boil the potatoes and parsnips in a pan of water until tender, then drain and set aside.

While the veg are cooking, bring the cream and milk to boiling point in another pan. Turn off the heat, add the bay leaf, onion, thyme and a grating of nutmeg, then leave to infuse.

Heat a frying pan/skillet over a medium heat and add a glug of oil or butter and add the chopped shallots, carrot, celery and white parts of the spring onions/scallions. Leave to fry without browning too much for around six to seven minutes, then add the bacon pieces and cook until crispy and golden.

Mash the warm potatoes and parsnips with the butter, then start adding the warm milk (discard the bay leaf and onion). You may not need all the liquid, depending on the type of potato – or you may need a splash more. Season to taste with salt and pepper, horseradish cream and mustard, then finish with the sliced spring onion greens.

Serve big dollops of mash with the bacon mixture on top and add a sprinkling of freshly chopped parsley. Don’t drain the bacon mix, as the butter from the frying of the bacon is spooned over the mash when serving. Good served with pickled beets on the side.

Recipe taken from The Scandinavian Year by Bronte Aurell (Ryland Peters & Small, £25). Read the review

Photography: Peter Cassidy © Ryland Peters & Small