Jansson's Temptation (Janssons Frestelse)

⏱ 85 min · Serves 6

The Swedish Christmas classic: whisper-thin potatoes layered with sweet slow-cooked onion and salty Swedish anchovy sprats, drenched in cream and baked until the top is bronzed and the edges bubble into caramel. Impossibly savoury, impossibly comforting.

Per serving: 492 kcal · 13.5g protein · 41.0g carbs · 31.0g fat

Ingredients

• 1.2 kg floury potatoes (Maris Piper or King Edward), peeled
• 2 large onions, finely sliced
• 40 g butter, plus extra for the dish
• 1 tbsp neutral oil
• 2 tins (about 125 g each) Swedish anchovy sprats (ansjovis), drained, brine reserved
• 300 ml double cream
• 150 ml whole milk
• 4 tbsp dried breadcrumbs (panko works well)
• White pepper, to taste
• Salt, only if needed
• 2 tbsp chopped dill, to serve (optional)

Method

1. Heat the oven to 200C/180C fan. Butter a 2-litre ovenproof dish generously.
2. Cut the potatoes into matchsticks about 5 mm thick — slice into thin rounds first, then stack and cut into strips. Do not rinse; the starch helps thicken the cream. Keep them in a bowl covered with a damp cloth.
3. Melt the butter with the oil in a frying pan over low-medium heat. Add the onions and cook gently for 12-15 minutes until soft, sweet and just barely golden. Don't rush or brown them hard.
4. Chop the anchovy sprats roughly, keeping 2 tablespoons of their brine.
5. Spread a third of the potatoes in the dish. Scatter over half the onions and half the anchovies. Add another third of potato, then the remaining onions and anchovies, then finish with a neat top layer of potato.
6. Mix the cream, milk and reserved anchovy brine with a good grinding of white pepper. Pour evenly over the dish — it should come almost to the top layer of potato but not submerge it.
7. Scatter the breadcrumbs over the surface and dot with a little extra butter.
8. Bake for 45-55 minutes until the potatoes are completely tender to the point of a knife, the cream has thickened and the top is deep golden. Cover loosely with foil if it colours too fast.
9. Rest for 10 minutes so the cream sets, taste and add salt only if it needs it, scatter with dill and serve — traditionally with rye crispbread and a cold beer or a shot of aquavit.