Winter & Christmas

Brunede kartofler

Brunede kartofler are small boiled potatoes tossed in a caramel of sugar and butter until they are glossy and brown all over. On Christmas Eve in Denmark they nearly always sit next to the plain potatoes on the table.

Small caramelised potatoes with a glossy brown glaze
Photo: Comrade King (Jens Rost) / Wikimedia Commons · CC BY-SA 2.0
Preparation
10 min
Cooking/baking time
35 min
Servings
4–6 people
Difficulty
Medium

Ingredients

Potatoes

Caramel

Method

  1. Boil the potatoes in salted water until tender, drain, peel and leave to cool completely – ideally the day before. Cold, dry potatoes caramelise much better.
  2. Spread the sugar evenly in a large frying pan and let it melt over medium heat without stirring. Just swirl the pan gently until you have a golden caramel.
  3. Add the butter and stir it into the caramel until smooth and foaming.
  4. Rinse the potatoes briefly in cold water, drain well and add them to the pan. Turn them carefully over medium heat for 10–15 minutes until evenly brown and glossy all over.
  5. Serve at once – with flæskesteg, duck or goose, red cabbage and brown gravy.

The story behind the dish

In Denmark, brunede kartofler are a fixed side dish on Christmas Eve, served with flæskesteg, duck or goose.

The dish is so typically Danish that it is known in French cooking too: a cookbook by Desnoues from 1978 lists it as "Pommes de terre danoises".

Enjoy it at Dansk Cottage

Brunede kartofler are the dish the children stay by the stove to watch – and the one that disappears from the table fastest.

The cottage kitchen · Discover Søby · Experience Ærø

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In the mood for Denmark?

Dansk Cottage near Søby can be booked from spring 2027 – with a spacious kitchen for exactly this kind of dish.

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