Janssons frestelse

Name: Janssons frestelse
Prep time: 20 min
Cook time: 50 min
Total time: 1 h 10 min
Yield: 6
Cuisine: Sweden
Ingredients: 1 kg waxy or medium-starchy potatoes (Charlotte, Yukon Gold, or similar, peeled and cut into matchsticks 5mm × 5mm × 5–6cm); 2 medium white onions, thinly sliced into half-moons; 1 tin (100–125g) Swedish pickled sprats/ansjovis (including the brine), or 8–10 salt-packed anchovies + 0.25 tsp allspice + 1 tsp sugar as a substitute; 300 ml double cream (heavy cream); 100 ml whole milk; 30 g unsalted butter (for the dish and the top); 50 g dried breadcrumbs (for a crispy top, optional); 0.5 tsp white pepper

Sweden's irresistible temptation: a gratin of potato matchsticks and sweet-spiced Swedish anchovies buried under onions and cream, baked until bubbling and golden: the dish that has anchored the Swedish smörgåsbord and Christmas julbord for over a century, named for a man who could not resist it

Origin: Sweden

From the journey of Potato.

Janssons frestelse, Jansson's Temptation, is one of the most beloved dishes in Swedish cuisine and a fixture of the Christmas julbord (Christmas smörgåsbord). Its origin story is disputed: the most popular attribution is to Pelle Janzon (1844–1889), a Swedish opera singer and gourmand famous for his devotion to food despite professing religious asceticism; his inability to resist this dish was supposedly the 'temptation' of the name. An alternative attribution links it to the early 20th century Swedish-American film industry. Regardless of origin, the dish has been central to Swedish home cooking since at least the 1920s, documented in major Swedish cookbooks from the 1930s. The key ingredient is not ordinary anchovy but Swedish pickled sprats (Sprattus sprattus) preserved in a sweet-spiced brine with allspice, cloves, and cinnamon; sold in Sweden as 'ansjovis'; which is completely different from the salt-packed Mediterranean anchovy. Swedish ansjovis is mildly salty, sweet, fragrant, and complex, and it dissolves into the cream during baking, giving the gratin a savoury depth that regular anchovy cannot replicate. Outside Sweden, Scandinavia, and Baltic countries, this specific product can be difficult to find; the preparation can be approximated with regular anchovies augmented with allspice and a small amount of sugar.

Ingredients

Potatoes

1 kg waxy or medium-starchy potatoes (Charlotte, Yukon Gold, or similar, peeled and cut into matchsticks 5mm × 5mm × 5–6cm)

Onion

2 medium white onions, thinly sliced into half-moons

Anchovy

1 tin (100–125g) Swedish pickled sprats/ansjovis (including the brine), or 8–10 salt-packed anchovies + 0.25 tsp allspice + 1 tsp sugar as a substitute

Cream

300 ml double cream (heavy cream)
100 ml whole milk

Fat

30 g unsalted butter (for the dish and the top)

Topping

50 g dried breadcrumbs (for a crispy top, optional)

Seasoning

0.5 tsp white pepper

Method

Preheat the oven to 200°C (fan 180°C / 400°F). Butter a deep baking dish (about 25×20cm). Peel and cut the potatoes into matchsticks; consistent size is important for even cooking. Cut the onions into thin half-moons.
Layer half the potato matchsticks in the bottom of the dish. Scatter the sliced onions evenly over the potato layer. Lay the anchovy fillets over the onions (distribute evenly; every portion should encounter anchovy). Pour any brine from the tin over the anchovies.
Cover with the remaining potato matchsticks. Season with white pepper (no salt needed: the anchovies provide sufficient salt). Mix the cream and milk together and pour over the potatoes; it should come about two-thirds of the way up the potatoes.
Dot the top with small pieces of butter. Scatter the breadcrumbs evenly over the surface if using. Bake for 45–55 minutes until the top is deep golden brown, the cream is bubbling, and a sharp knife inserted in the centre meets no resistance from the potatoes.
Allow to rest for 10 minutes before serving; the gratin sets slightly as it cools and is much easier to serve in clean portions. Serve directly from the dish at the table.

Notes

Swedish 'ansjovis' (the pickled sprats sold for this dish) should not be confused with the Italian or Spanish anchovy packed in salt or oil. They are completely different products: the Swedish product is a sprat (Sprattus sprattus) preserved in a sweet-acidic brine with allspice, cloves, cinnamon, and sugar, which gives it a mildly salty, sweet, and aromatic character. The confusion leads many cooks outside Scandinavia to over-salt their Janssons frestelse by using regular anchovies at the same quantity. If using regular anchovies, use half the quantity specified and add a pinch of allspice and sugar to compensate for the absent sweet-spice brine.

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Ingredient originTrade or transit route

Became a culinary stapleColonial / trade control