Swedish Raggmunk with Fried Pork and Lingonberries
Coarsely grated potato stirred into a milk and flour batter, fried in butter into big lacy Swedish potato pancakes and served with crisp fried pork and lingonberry jam.
Raggmunk is grated potato in a batter of flour and milk, sometimes with egg, fried like pancakes and usually served with fried pork and lingonberry jam; it is the official provincial dish of Östergötland, and the first written record of the word "raggmunk" dates from 1904 (Swedish Wikipedia:). Swedish Wikipedia explains that "ragg" means crisp and "munk" is a pastry word for a dough that puffs up. The same dish baked in a pan goes by other names, such as lufsa in Blekinge and on Öland. Arla, Sweden's dairy cooperative, calls raggmunk with pork a Swedish classic. Sweet jam with salty pork is the point: English Wikipedia says all four Swedish potato pancake styles are traditionally served with fried bacon and lingonberry jam.
Why it works the kitchen science
Batter, not just potato
The milk and flour batter fills the gaps between coarse potato shreds, so the pancake is soft in the middle and the shreds poking out at the edges fry crisp and shaggy, which is what "ragg" describes.
Sweet, sour and salty
Tart lingonberry jam cuts the rich pork and buttery pancake the way cranberry sauce cuts a Thanksgiving plate.
Step by step
- Step 1
Heat the oven to 200°F with a wire rack in a rimmed baking sheet. Whisk about 1/2 cup of the milk with the salt and flour until smooth, then whisk in the rest of the milk and the egg.
- Step 2
Peel the potatoes, grate them coarsely and stir them straight into the batter so they don't darken.
- Step 3
Fry the pork in a large skillet over medium heat, 4 to 5 minutes per side, until crisp. Drain on paper towels and keep warm in the oven; pour off the fat.
- Step 4
Wipe the skillet, set it over medium heat and melt about 1 tsp butter until it foams and turns pale gold.
- Step 5
Stir the batter, ladle in about 3/4 cup (2 dl) and spread it into a thin 8-inch round. Fry 3 to 4 minutes, until golden and set, then flip and fry 3 to 4 minutes more.
- Step 6
Hold each finished pancake on the rack in the oven and repeat with the rest, adding butter for each one and stirring the batter every time.
- Step 7
Serve the raggmunk with the fried pork and a spoonful of lingonberry jam.
Swedish Raggmunk with Fried Pork and Lingonberries
Serves 4 · about 7 large pancakes · 50 min total
Batter
- 1 2/3 cups (4 dl) whole milk
- 3/4 cup plus 1 tbsp (2 dl, about 120 g) all-purpose flour
- 1 tsp salt
- 1 large egg
- 1 3/4 lb (800 g) floury potatoes, such as russets
To fry and serve
- 3 tbsp butter
- 14 oz (400 g) thick-cut bacon or lightly salted pork belly, sliced
- 1/2 cup lingonberry jam
Method
- Heat the oven to 200°F with a wire rack in a rimmed baking sheet. Whisk about 1/2 cup of the milk with the salt and flour until smooth, then whisk in the rest of the milk and the egg.
- Peel the potatoes, grate them coarsely and stir them straight into the batter so they don't darken.
- Fry the pork in a large skillet over medium heat, 4 to 5 minutes per side, until crisp. Drain on paper towels and keep warm in the oven; pour off the fat.
- Wipe the skillet, set it over medium heat and melt about 1 tsp butter until it foams and turns pale gold.
- Stir the batter, ladle in about 3/4 cup (2 dl) and spread it into a thin 8-inch round. Fry 3 to 4 minutes, until golden and set, then flip and fry 3 to 4 minutes more.
- Hold each finished pancake on the rack in the oven and repeat with the rest, adding butter for each one and stirring the batter every time.
- Serve the raggmunk with the fried pork and a spoonful of lingonberry jam.
Adapted from Arla, "Raggmunk med fläsk", as written. Arla gives 800 g floury potatoes, 4 dl milk, 2 dl flour, 1 tsp salt, 1 egg, butter for frying, 400 g rimmat sidfläsk (lightly salted pork belly) and lingonsylt, about 2 dl batter per pancake. Arla gives no serving count, butter amount, heat level or times; the 4 servings, 3 tbsp butter, medium heat, the frying times and the 1/2 cup of jam are ours. Thick-cut bacon is our US swap for Swedish lightly salted pork belly. Arla Sweden. Ingredient list follows the source; the method is in our own words.
All sources (3)
Tips
- Arla suggests stirring grated carrot or other root vegetables into the batter for a change.
- No lingonberries? Cranberry sauce is the closest American stand-in.
- For a hands-off version, Swedish cooks bake the batter over the pork in a sheet pan.
The rules people argue about
What the sources agree on, what they don't, and what is just a good story.
- Raggmunk must be served with pork and lingonberries. Documented as the usual way (Swedish Wikipedia; Arla), though Arla also suggests cottage cheese.
- Raggmunk is Östergötland's dish. Documented: Swedish Wikipedia calls it Östergötland's provincial dish (landskapsrätt).
- Raggmunk and rårakor are the same thing. Disputed: Swedish Wikipedia calls rårakor a local name and notes they are often only potato; English Wikipedia lists them as a separate, batter-free style.
- "Ragg" means hairy. Folklore: a popular guess from the shaggy edges; Swedish Wikipedia says the word means crisp.
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