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Pannbiff (Swedish beef patties) with onions and cream sauce, the whole dishPannbiff (Swedish beef patties) with onions and cream sauce, close up

Pannbiff (Swedish beef patties) with onions and cream sauce

45 min · 41 g protein · 507 cals / serving

Juicy Swedish beef patties with a dark, crusty sear, buried under a heap of onions fried slowly until sweet and golden, in a glossy brown gräddsås made from the pan juices with a dash of soy. The sauce gets its creaminess from light crème fraiche and kvarg, and it is served with a buttery cauliflower and potato mash and a spoon of lingonberry jam.

Servings4

Ingredients

Patties

Cauliflower mash

Fried onions

Gräddsås

Cauliflower mash

Steps

  1. Stir the breadcrumbs into the milk in a bowl and let them swell for 5 minutes. Beat in the egg, grated onion, salt, pepper and allspice, then add the beef and mix with your hands just until even. Shape 8 flat patties about 1.5 cm thick.
  2. Put the potatoes in a pot of salted water, bring to a boil and cook 8 minutes, then add the cauliflower and cook 10–12 minutes more, until both are very soft.
  3. Meanwhile heat a large frying pan over medium-high heat with a third of the butter. Fry the patties 3–4 minutes per side, without moving them, until a dark crust forms and they reach 160°F in the middle. Move them to a plate.Step 3, what it should look like
  4. Lower the heat to medium, add the rest of the butter and the sliced onions with a pinch of salt and fry 10–12 minutes, stirring now and then, until soft, sweet and golden brown. Push them to the side of the pan.Step 4, what it should look like
  5. Whisk the cornstarch into the cold milk. Pour the broth and soy into the pan and scrape up all the brown bits, then whisk in the milk and simmer 2 minutes until the sauce thickens.
  6. Take the pan off the heat and whisk in the crème fraiche and kvarg until smooth. Return the patties and their juices and spoon the sauce and onions over them; warm gently without boiling.Step 6, what it should look like
  7. Drain the vegetables well and let them steam dry for 2 minutes, then mash with the butter, milk, nutmeg and salt until smooth. Serve the patties with onions and sauce, the mash and lingonberry jam.Step 7, what it should look like

Good to know

Why soak the breadcrumbs?

The milk-soaked crumbs (the Swedish 'panad') hold on to the meat juices, which is what keeps a lean patty tender instead of dry. Do not skip the 5 minutes.

Potatoes instead of the mash?

Boiled potatoes are just as traditional. Use about 800 g of firm potatoes in place of the cauliflower mash; the patties and sauce stay the same.

Will the sauce split?

Not if it stays below a boil once the crème fraiche and kvarg are in. Warm it gently; if it does turn grainy, a quick whisk smooths most of it out.

Per

Calories
85
Protein
(34%)
7 g
Fat
(32%)
3 g
Carbohydrates
(34%)
8 g
of which sugar
3 g
Fiber
1 g
Sodium
209 mg

More meals

Computed from the ingredients with our published formula, not yet kitchen-tested. How

As written, 2026 kcal goes into the pot and 2821 g of ingredients comes out as about 2390 g of food: 85 kcal per 100 g. Cooking moves water and energy density is the score's biggest lever, so the dish is scored as cooked, not as an average of its parts. Every ingredient links to its food page, with the same data and score. The label's percentages are each macronutrient's share of the calories. The full formula.