Midsummer Root Vegetable and Caramelized Onion Bake

About This Recipe

This bake draws on Sweden's love of new potatoes (färskpotatis) and caramelized onion, ingredients that show up constantly at Midsummer celebrations, when the year's first tender new potatoes are harvested and treated almost ceremonially. Carrots and new potatoes are par-cooked before baking with a generous amount of onion that's been cooked low and slow until deeply golden and sweet, then finished with a light cream sauce that binds everything together without masking the vegetables' own flavor. The caramelized onion is the heart of the dish and deserves the full 25-30 minutes it needs over low heat — rushed onions taste sharp and one-dimensional rather than the deep sweetness that makes this bake worth the effort. New potatoes, prized in Sweden specifically for their thin, delicate skins and sweet flesh, need only a light scrub rather than peeling, keeping more of their flavor and nutrients intact. It's a side dish built for the long, light evenings of Swedish summer celebrations, though it works just as well as an autumn or winter comfort side alongside roasted meats.

Ingredients

Serves 6

• 800 gnew potatoes(scrubbed, halved if large)
• 3carrots(sliced)
• 3yellow onions(thinly sliced)
• 4 tbspbutter(divided)
• 1 tspbrown sugar
• 1 cupheavy cream
• 0.5 cupvegetable or chicken stock
• 1 tspfine sea salt
• 0.25 tspwhite pepper
• 2 tbspfresh dill(chopped)

Instructions

1. 1

   Caramelize the onions

   Melt 2 tbsp butter in a wide pan over low heat. Add onions and brown sugar, cook slowly for 25-30 minutes, stirring occasionally, until deep golden and sweet.

   Keep the heat low throughout — rushed onions taste sharp instead of developing real sweetness.

2. 2

   Par-cook the vegetables

   Boil potatoes and carrots in salted water for 8-10 minutes until just starting to soften. Drain.

3. 3

   Layer the bake

   Butter a baking dish. Combine the par-cooked vegetables and caramelized onions, spreading evenly.

4. 4

   Add the cream

   Whisk cream, stock, salt and pepper together and pour over the vegetables.

5. 5

   Bake

   Dot with remaining butter and bake at 190°C (375°F) for 30-35 minutes until bubbling and the vegetables are fully tender.

6. 6

   Finish and serve

   Scatter with fresh dill and serve hot as a side to roast meats or fish.

Variations

• •

  Add parsnips alongside the carrots for extra sweetness and variety.

• •

  Swap heavy cream for crème fraîche for a slightly tangier finish.

• •

  Add crumbled bacon on top before the final bake for a heartier version.

Storage

Refrigerate up to 4 days. Reheat covered in a 160°C oven until warmed through; the cream sauce may need a splash of milk stirred in to loosen it back up.

Frequently Asked Questions