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Today’s recipe
This might not look like the svensk pølseret you’ve had before, so keep reading – this is our family’s version, based on an old pølsegryde recipe! If you’re unfamiliar with the dish, it’s a Danish classic (even though it’s a “Swedish” dish – we’ll get to that later). It’s basically a one-pan dish that consists of sausage (pølse – the most crucial ingredient), potatoes, and then whatever else you want to add. It’s super versatile and quick to make, which is probably why lots of families love incorporating it into their weekly dinners.
This recipe has been a long time coming, as we’ve had it on our list for a while now. Luckily, it didn’t take that long to perfect, because it’s a childhood favorite of ours, and our mom shared the recipe with us. Svensk pølseret is a dish that’s perfect for these colder months, when all you need is a quick way to enjoy a satisfying but delicious meal.
Svensk pølseret – where did it come from?
We ate this for dinner regularly growing up, and we didn’t ask too many questions at the time. But now – why in the world do we call it svensk pølseret, or Swedish sausage dish, if we eat it in Denmark? The story is that some Danes who were on a trip to Sweden made a dish with some leftovers, including sausages, so they called it a Swedish sausage dish. It made it sound more exotic when really it’s just a super basic dish. Very funny origin story, and honestly, so strange that the name has stuck all these years.
How is our recipe different?
Our mom originally found a recipe for “pølsegryde” (pictured below) in a cookbook, but made some changes and tweaks of her own to make it suit our family better. This recipe uses only cabbage, but she added potatoes. She did this to make it heartier, and then also added peas and parsley for some extra color. As a family of 4 kids who were all very into sports, it makes sense that a bit of extra veg was needed to fill us up! She removed a key ingredient that none of us are big fans of, “kommen” or caraway.
Anyway, this recipe is really a combination of this pølsegryde recipe (the cabbage, apples, and thyme) and svensk pølseret (sausage and potatoes), but she always referred to it as “svensk pølseret,” so that’s what we know it as, even if the name doesn’t exactly match other people’s versions of this dish.
The typical recipe you’ll find elsewhere for svensk pølseret also includes paprika, tomato paste, and heavy cream. This makes it look and taste similar to the sauce in mørbradgryde, but we just keep it super simple in our version. It’s still saucy, but we just thicken it with flour and stock, and season it with thyme, salt, and pepper.
So, if this looks different to the svensk pølseret you’ve had before, that makes sense. We’ve called it mors “svensk” pølseret for that exact reason – it’s how we like to eat it in our family! But we think if you give it a try, you’ll definitely love it too.
Ingredients you’ll need
We’ve pretty much already mentioned all the ingredients you’ll need, but here’s a more comprehensive list. Remember that this is a dish you can customize to suit your tastes and your family’s preferences. Feel free to throw more veggies in there or leave some out if you don’t like them.
- Oil or butter
- Green/white cabbage
- Waxy small potatoes
- Sausage (fully-cooked, smoked sausage like kielbasa is best, but hot dogs are also good!)
- Apple
- Thyme
- Flour
- Stock (you can also use bouillon or miso paste)
- Parsley
- Frozen peas
- Salt and pepper
How to make our “svensk” pølseret
This is a quick and easy dish to make. Start by cooking the potatoes and cabbage together in the oil/butter for about 10 minutes. These are the harder vegetables, so they’ll take the longest to cook. Then, add the flour and thyme and cook that out for a minute or two before adding the stock. Simmer this for 15-20 minutes until the potatoes start to soften.
Next, add the apple and sausage and cook for another 10 minutes. This will let the apple break down a little bit, too, and all the flavors will start to mingle. Finally, add the peas and parsley towards the end, and season with salt and pepper to taste.
You can feel free to incorporate other seasonings if you wish, and you can add some heavy cream at the end if you want a creamy sauce. Serve with some bread – rye bread is especially delicious – but we find that the dish itself is so filling and hearty that you don’t need anything else to accompany it. We hope you give it a try. Enjoy!
Mors “Svensk” Pølseret (Swedish Sausage Dish)
This is our mom's twist on a Danish classic, with plenty of hearty vegetables to make for a satisfying and filling meal.
Ingredients
- 2 tbsp oil or butter
- 600 grams green/white cabbage
- 700 grams potatoes (we prefer to use small, waxy potatoes that don't break down easily when cooked, so they don't get too mushy and mealy when stirred around in the stew)
- ½ tsp dried thyme
- 1 tbsp flour
- 500-600 ml vegetable stock (you can use water and bouillon, or just water if that's what you have)
- 400 grams sausage (we like to use smoked sausage for this; you can also use kielbasa, or just plain hot dogs if that's what you like!)
- 300 grams apples
- 3 tbsp fresh parsley (optional)
- 100 grams frozen peas (optional)
- Salt and pepper to taste
Instructions
- Chop the cabbage into bite-sized pieces. Wash the potatoes (since we don't peel them for this recipe) and dice them into 3/4" or 2cm pieces.
- Place a large pot or dutch oven on the stove. Heat butter/oil over medium heat, then add cabbage and potatoes to the pot.
- Stir often and cook for 5-10 minutes.
- The cabbage should start to soften at this point. Add in thyme, salt, pepper, and flour, stirring well to coat the vegetables in the flour.
- Add in about 500ml or 2 cups worth of stock or water. Stir to make sure nothing is sticking to the bottom of the pot.
- Cook on medium-low heat (covered) for 15-20 minutes, stirring often to prevent burning to the bottom, and adding more stock/water if it evaporates. We added at least another 100ml or 1/2 cups' worth of liquid, but you may need more or less depending on how quickly your potatoes cook.
- While the cabbage and potatoes are cooking, dice the apple and slice the sausage into rounds.
- Add apple and sausage to the pot once the potatoes are tender.
- Cook for another 5-10 minutes so the apple begins to soften as well. If you need to, add more stock/water to make sure nothing sticks to the bottom of the pot.
- Make sure to taste for seasoning, as you may need to add more salt and pepper.
- Optionally, but recommended – chop fresh parsley and add to the pot, along with frozen peas. This helps add more freshness and a pop of color as well!
- Do a final seasoning check and adjust salt and pepper levels as needed. Serve with bread and enjoy!
