Ingredients

3 tbsp butter
1 small yellow onion, sliced
1 leek, sliced
2 lb sliced mushrooms
2 lb think cut bacon
8-10 golden potatoes
1/2 tsp herb de provence
1/3 tsp black pepper
1/2 tsp salt (or to taste)
3 tbsp vegetable stock
3 tbsp milk
1/2 cup parmesan cheese, grated

Instructions

1.Clean and slice the potatoes. I like to leave the skin on but you can remove it if you wish. Steam (or boil) the potatoes until they're soft and ready to be mashed. In a mixing bowl add the butter, salt, Herbes de Provence, and pepper, you don't need to mix these yet. You can prepare the topping part while the potatoes are cooking.
2.In a large frying pan cook all the bacon and then drain the grease leaving a small amount, approximately 2-3 tablespoons to sauté the onions in. Once the bacon is done chop it into 1/2
3.Chop the onions into 1/4
4.Add the onions to the pan you cooked the bacon in and sauté over medium to medium-high heat until they caramelize, this should take about 10 minutes. Be sure to stir them frequently or you will end up with burnt edges.
5.Add the leeks and mushrooms to the onions in the pan and cook together for 7-10 minutes.
6.Once the potatoes are ready add them to the bowl where you have the other ingredients. Add the vegetable stock and milk and beat with a mixer until the the potatoes are creamy without chunks.
7.Plate the potatoes and with the serving spoon create a hollow in the center. Add a layer of the chopped bacon followed by a layer of the topping. Finish with a layer of bacon and sprinkle a little parmesan cheese.

Burning Love or Brennende kjærlighet is a highly versatile recipe that nearly always ends up tasting great. With the creamy mashed potatoes, mushrooms, bacon and onions your taste buds will be treated to an amazing symphony of flavor. You can add some sides if you like, I think asparagus would go great with it, or let it be the whole meal, either way you will have a nutritious meal.

Before really starting my research on this dish I spoke to a friend that lived in Norway to see if she had a favorite meal and her feedback had me a little concerned. She said that if I wanted authentic Norsk food then I should plan on bland potatoes and ham, and that’s it. As I started exploring though I came across this and decided that I could be authentic and have a dish that was full of flavor. I had to fight the urge to add some peppers or sun-dried tomatoes to the recipe since I wanted to stick to more traditional ingredients, but if you wanted to go that route, I don’t think you could go wrong.

In the recipe, when cooking the potatoes, I suggest using a steamer instead of boiling. Boiling does a good job of softening the potatoes but it leaches out tons of flavor. Steaming preserves the flavor. Having the true flavor of the potatoes makes Burning Love complete. If you don’t have a steamer go ahead and boil them.

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