Brúnaðar kartöflur — 'caramelized potatoes' — are Iceland's festive potato: small boiled potatoes fried in a caramel of butter and sugar until dark, glossy, and crackly-crusted. They are the indispensable side of the Christmas table, served with hangikjöt (smoked lamb) and the Thanksgiving-like richness of an Icelandic holiday meal.
Brúnaðar kartöflur (literally 'browned potatoes') are the festive potatoes of Iceland — the dish that makes the Christmas table. The technique (boil, then caramelize in butter and sugar) is an old Northern European one (Danish brunede kartofler, German karamellkartoffeln), but in Iceland it is the indispensable Christmas side, served specifically with hangikjöt (smoked lamb) and green peas. The small new potatoes (often canned in Iceland, since fresh new potatoes are out of season at Christmas) are coated in a dark caramel glaze that cracks when you bite. They are sweet, savory, and the dish every Icelander associates with Christmas.
A small potato with a dark, glossy, crackling caramel shell. Bite in: the shell shatters into sweet shards; the inside is soft, starchy, the perfect contrast. The sweetness is balanced by the savory lamb on the plate. Eat one and you understand why it is the Christmas side — nothing else is so festive.
The potatoes are pre-boiled (or use canned small new potatoes, the Icelandic Christmas shortcut). The caramel is made by melting sugar in butter until dark amber — it must be dark enough to flavor but not so dark it tastes burnt. The potatoes are tossed in the caramel off the heat (coating them evenly), then served immediately — the caramel sets fast and must be glossy when it reaches the table.
Variations
Some add a splash of water to thin the caramel; some use honey instead of sugar; the potato size varies.
On the Palate
Where Brúnaðar Kartöflur sits in the Icelandic flavor cloud
Ingredients
Serves 6How it's made
8 steps · 25 min active + 20 min waiting
- 120 min
Boil 800 g small new potatoes in their skins until tender; drain; peel if you like.
- 22 min
In a wide pan, melt 50 g butter; add 50 g sugar.
- 34 min
Cook over medium heat, stirring, until the sugar is a dark amber caramel (3-4 minutes).
Watch outTake the caramel to a dark amber and pull it right there — a shade lighter and it's just sweet, a shade darker and it tips into acrid burnt.
- 43 min
Off the heat, immediately add the potatoes; toss to coat completely.
Watch outToss the potatoes in off the heat and keep them moving — the caramel sets fast, so coat them evenly while it's still glossy and pourable.
- 52 min
Return to low heat 2 minutes to warm through.
- 61 min
The caramel should be glossy and coat each potato.
- 71 min
Season with a pinch of salt.
- 81 min
Serve at once, alongside hangikjöt.