Janssons Frestelse (Jansson’s Temptation)
I spent Christmas in a lovely little log cabin in Northern Sweden. And when I told my friend Josephine, who is half Norwegian and half Swedish, that I would be in Sweden for Christmas, she sent me a long list of foods I needed to buy at the grocery store, as well as traditional Swedish recipe I could make:
And she said that I had to make Jannsons frestelse, or Jansson’s Temptation, for Christmas.
Janssons frestelse is a Swedish casserole with potatoes, onions, anchovies (or sprats), and cream. Swedes love to serve Janssons frestelse for Christmas, but people will also eat it any other time of year as well.
Janssons frestelse translates to Jansson’s Temptation, which I think is so funny because I imagine many people reading the ingredients will find this dish anything but tempting. Anchovies and cream? No, thank you.
I was truly shocked when I first tried Janssons frestelse and loved it. Not only will I be making this dish every Christmas now, but I’ll probably make it throughout the year as well. It’s so good, and so easy to make.
Interestingly, it doesn’t really taste like fish? At least to me it mostly just tastes like Christmas, thanks to the spices used in the anchovy (or sprat) broth. I saw that many Swedes eat this with meatballs, which I thought might be an odd combination but then I tried it and they paired wonderfully together!
Tips
Janssons frestelse is a very casserole to make. You simply cut and fry up the onions, cut the potatoes into strips, and then layer the potatoes, onions, and anchovies in a casserole dish. Then pour cream over and sprinkle with bread crumbs and butter. And then bake!
Cook the onions on low heat until they are clear but not brown.
Cut the potatoes into long strips like french fries. Try to use kokefaste potatoes for this, like russet potatoes.
Apparently Swedish (and Norwegian) anchovies are different than American anchovies. If you are making this in the US you can use spice cured sprat fillets for this, though I’ve seen American versions of Janssons temptation simply using American anchovies.
You can use more or less anchovies depending on how much flavor you want. The same goes for the amount of anchovy broth you add to the cream. And if you want added flavor you can add some anchovy paste or fish eggs to the cream as well.
Add half of the cream/anchovy broth mixture to the casserole, and then you’ll add the other half after the dish has baked for 25 to 30 minutes. Top with bread crumbs, and small pads of butter (if you like – some people skip the added butter).
After the Jansson’s temptation has baked for 25 to 30 minutes, pour the rest of the cream mixture along the outer edges of the casserole and bake for another 10 to 15 minutes.
The Jansson’s temptation is finished when the top is a deep golden brown and the potatoes have softened.
You can switch the recipe from US measurements to metric by clicking from “US Customary” to “Metric” under Ingredients.
Janssons Frestelse (Jansson’s Temptation)
Equipment
- casserole dish
Ingredients
- 2 yellow onions
- 2 lb russet (or similar) potatoes
- 7 oz anchovies (spice cured sprat fillets)
- 1 and 1/4 cups heavy cream
- 3 tbsp anchovy broth (from the tin)
- 1-2 tbsp butter
- 2 tbsp dry bread crumbs
Instructions
- Butter a large oven safe casserole dish. Preheat oven to 435°F (225°C).
- Slice the onions and sauté them in just a tiny bit of butter or oil on low/medium heat for ten minutes. They should become clear but not brown.
- Peel the potatoes and cut them into strips (like french fries). Layer the potatoes, onions, and anchovies/sprats in the casserole dish (start and end with potatoes).
- Mix the cream and anchovy broth together and pour half of it over the casserole. Add small pads of butter to the top of the casserole and sprinkle with bread crumbs.
- Bake in the middle of the oven for 25-30 minutes. Remove the casserole from the oven and pour the rest of the cream mixture along the edges of the dish. Bake for another 10-15 minutes until the potatoes are soft and the casserole is a deep golden brown.