This is the first time in almost 200 years that someone from my Cedergren side of the family tree has put this recipe on paper. Seriously, over 200 years of a family tradition. It has been passed from generation to generation, back further than my great, great grandmother, who learned it in Sweden before immigrating to the US in 1869.
To me, this recipe is so much more than a list of ingredients. It crossed over oceans and continents with my ancestors. Families, spanning almost two centuries, enjoy this dish around the holidays. People connect and reconnect when they meet to make this dish. It’s more personal than just passing down a written recipe. With meeting in person, the teacher also shares a bit of herself and her life with the new keeper of the recipe and, more importantly, the Cedergren family tradition. Stories are shared, not only about making the dish but also about life. She is pouring into someone else, sharing her wisdom and life experience.
When a recipe of mine says “Grandma’s” in front of whatever the dish is, it’s not just there to pull people in with some cutesy or welcoming wording. It’s because my grandma, Grandma Sally, was one of my people. I feel extremely close to her. I spent the vast majority of my early life and young adult years doing life with my grandparents and our neighbors, who were like family. My entire life is surrounded by the values that they instilled in me. Even though Grandma Sally passed away when I was only two years old, there are so many of her stories about how she lived and traditions that I carry on in remembrance of her even today. So when I share a family recipe with you all, I’m really sharing a piece of myself and my story. In this case, I’m also paying homage to my Swedish roots.
Kroppkakor (pronounced crop-a-cock-or, though I grew up with my grandpa pronouncing it like “creb”) are Swedish potato dumplings, and this recipe came directly from Sweden via my great, great grandparents, circa the 1830s. They immigrated from the small island of Ӧland, which sits just east of Sweden’s mainland. Ironically enough, the origin of kroppkakor is also in Ӧland. In the 1700s, potato production ramped up significantly since people discovered alcohol can be distilled from them. Potatoes have been a key ingredient in many Swedish dishes ever since.
This dish works well as a post-Thanksgiving meal here in the USA, when you may still have lots of mashed potatoes and cranberry sauce left over. I know I did! I truly hope that you enjoy making this recipe and perhaps it will become a tradition for your family as well to use up those holiday leftovers and make some memories while doing so.
Kroppkakor
Equipment
- Medium-sized pan
- Jelly Roll Pan
- Cooling rack
Ingredients
FOR THE FILLING:
- 3 cloves Garlic, minced
- 2 Sweet Onions, diced
- 2 lb. Thick-Cut Bacon, diced
- 1 T. Oil
- 1 T. Sugar
- 1½ tsp. Allspice
- Black Pepper, to taste
- Salt, to taste
FOR THE DOUGH:
- 14 c. Yukon Gold Potatoes, mashed
- 1 c. Buttermilk (for mashed potatoes)
- 2 sticks Butter (for mashed potatoes)
- ⅔ c. Flour
- 2 Eggs
Instructions
PREPARE THE FILLING: (*1)
- Mince garlic and dice the onions and bacon.
- Add oil to a medium-sized pan and pre-heat on medium-high heat.
- Add onions and garlic to the pan. Sauté for a few minutes until the garlic is tender and the onions are translucent.
- Add sugar to caramelize the onions.
- Add salt and pepper to the pan. Stir to coat evenly.
- Add bacon and cook until crispy.
- When bacon is crispy, remove pan from heat and set aside.
PREPARE THE DOUGH:
- Using the Yukon Gold Potatoes, buttermilk, and butter prepare mashed potatoes.Or, prepare mashed potatoes using your preferred recipe.
- Add flour and eggs to the mashed potatoes and mix thoroughly.
PREPARE THE PATTIES:
- Dust your countertop with flour and move the mashed potato mixture to the countertop to make the patties.
- Continue to knead flour into the mashed potato mixture until it has the consistency of dough. (*2)
FILL & SHAPE THE PATTIES:
- Grab a handful of dough and flatten it out with your hands until it is the size of the palm of your hand and about 1/2” thick.Continue this process until all of the dough has been used.
- Scoop about one tablespoon of the filling mixture into the center of the patty, making sure the filling is spread equally among all the patties, but that they are not over filled.
- Use your hands to fold the patty edges in, and mold the patty into a dumpling shape.
BOIL THE DUMPLINGS / KROPPKAKOR:
- Fill a large 10-Quart Stock Pot with water and bring it to a boil.
- Using a spider strainer, carefully place the Kroppkakor into the water.
- Allow them to cook for 3 minutes while they sit at the bottom of the pot and one more minute once they have floated to the top.
- Carefully remove the dumplings with the spider strainer and place them on a cooling rack with a jelly roll pan underneath to catch the water runoff.This prevents them from getting soggy.
- Once the excess water has run off the dumplings, they are ready to eat.Enjoy with browned butter, cranberry sauce, chives, or sour cream.
Notes
- *The directions above are how my grandma has always made them. Another way you could make them is to cook the bacon bits first and then remove the bacon from the pan and cook the onions and garlic in the remaining bacon grease. This would add a little more depth to the flavor profile.
- * You don’t want your Kroppkakor to taste like flour, but you will need to add enough of it to the mashed potato mixture so the dough is not sticky. I also suggest coating your hands in flour when you go to work with the dough.
Nutrition
My great great grandma shared this recipe with my great grandma, who shared it with her daughter-in-law, my Grandma Sally. My grandma shared it with my mom and when my husband and I were newly married and still in college, my parents came down to visit us and my mom passed it on to me. I grew up helping my mom make the kroppkakor, but this trip was special because it was finally my turn to learn how to make our special family dish from start to finish. The weekend that my husband and I hosted my parents was dedicated to making kroppkakor. This continues to leave a legacy of tradition that continues today with me teaching it to my daughters.
I grew up knowing that Kroppkakor day was a big deal in my farmhouse. My grandfather and dad got so excited because they knew it was coming. This was one special trip that my grandpa got to make to the local butcher (still in business by the way) to get the thick-cut bacon we needed. Making Kroppkakor has always been a big family event and even though my last name is now Cross, I will always be a Cedergren and family traditions on both sides are the foundation of The Cross Legacy.
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