Mushrooms, cream, and buttery mash - essential components for surviving Sweden’s long autumn and winter. This warming, satisfying dinner is easy to make and produces excellent leftovers for lunch boxes.

Ingredients

For the Potato Purée

  • 1 kg floury potatoes
  • 1 liter water
  • 1½ tbsp salt
  • 200 ml cream (2 dl)
  • 100 ml whole milk (1 dl)
  • 100 g butter

For the Creamy Mushroom Mince

  • 250 g mushrooms (forest mushrooms and/or chanterelles)
  • 1 yellow onion
  • (optional) 2 garlic cloves
  • (optional) 1 tbsp Japanese soy sauce
  • (optional) a pinch to a handful of dried chanterelles or other dried mushrooms
  • 1 tbsp butter
  • salt
  • 2 tbsp neutral rapeseed oil
  • 400 g veggie mince
  • 500 ml cream (5 dl)
  • 1½ tbsp chanterelle fond (mushroom concentrate)
  • 2 tbsp blackcurrant jelly or raw stirred lingonberries
  • 6 juniper berries, crushed
  • freshly ground black pepper
  • Raw stirred lingonberries for serving

Instructions

Make the Potato Purée

  1. Peel potatoes and place in a pot with cold water. Drain and refill with 1 liter fresh water. Add salt. Boil until soft, about 15-20 minutes.

  2. When potatoes are done: drain in a colander. Heat cream, milk, and butter in the potato pot. Press potatoes through a potato ricer into the pot.

  3. Fold the pressed potatoes into the liquid to form a smooth purée. Keep covered if the purée is ready before the rest of the meal.

Make the Creamy Mushroom Mince

  1. Clean and chop mushrooms into smaller pieces. Dry-fry in a large dry pan over medium-low heat to release moisture.

  2. Peel and finely chop onion while mushrooms cook. When mushrooms have shrunk: add butter and onion, fry until onion softens. Salt lightly. Transfer to a plate and set aside.

  3. Wipe out any loose onion bits from the pan. Add plenty of rapeseed oil. Fry veggie mince on high heat for about 5 minutes until slightly crispy.

  4. Lower heat and return mushrooms to the pan. Pour in cream and season with chanterelle fond, blackcurrant jelly, crushed juniper berries, and freshly ground black pepper.

  5. Let simmer for about 3 minutes. Taste and adjust - sometimes more fond or salt is needed.

To Serve

Serve with potato purée and raw stirred lingonberries.

Notes

Mushroom choice: A mix of cremini (skogschampinjoner) and chanterelles is ideal. Use what’s available - the chanterelle fond adds plenty of mushroom flavor regardless.

Chanterelle fond: This concentrated mushroom paste is found in Swedish grocery stores. Substitute with mushroom stock paste or extra sautéed mushrooms if unavailable.

Juniper berries: These add the classic Swedish game-style flavor. Crush them with the back of a spoon or in a mortar.

Veggie mince: Frozen plant-based mince works well here. Frying it until crispy gives good texture contrast.

Vegan version: Use plant-based cream, butter, and milk throughout.

Source: Vegokäk: lättlagade middagar by Annie Månsson