Jessie and Lennie Ware’s Jansson’s Temptation
This is Jessie and Lennie Ware's take on Jansson's Temptation, a traditional Swedish Christmas dish of creamy potatoes. It's richly comforting, and can be served as a side or a main.
From the book
Table Manners: The Cookbook
Family feasts and mouthwatering meals designed to bring people together.
From tried and tested Ware family recipes to impressive dinner party dishes.
Bring your favourite podcast to life with this beautifully curated book.
Buy From
Introduction
Ragnhild, my husband’s godmother (if agnostic socialists who lived in a feminist commune have such a title for their dearest friends), is a wonderful cook. She just couldn’t stay away from my mother-in-law Tessa after their Brixton commune days, so she found a house next door to her, with a direct passage to each other’s kitchen. One day, she passed this beloved Swedish winter classic over the garden wall. It is fundamentally a creamy potato gratin with fish. Ragnhild likes to make this with Swedish sprats, which confusingly are often sold with the word ‘ansjovis’ on the tin – but they are not the same as Mediterranean anchovies and have a milder, less salty flavour. We English philistines usually use anchovies. Don’t be put off by the anchovies – they melt away, but add such wonderful flavour. Perfect comfort food.
Ingredients
| 25g | unsalted butter, plus extra for greasing |
| 3 | large white onions, finely sliced into rings |
| 1kg | potatoes |
| 50g | tin anchovy fillets, drained and halved |
| 300ml | double cream |
| 150ml | whole milk |
| A small handful of | crumbled crispbread or dried breadcrumbs |
Essential kit
You will need: a baking dish (about 1.5–2 litres capacity).
Method
Preheat the oven to 190°C/170°C fan/gas 5.
Heat the butter in a large heavy-based pan, add the onions and fry over a low heat for 15–20 minutes until soft and caramelised.
Meanwhile, peel the potatoes and cut into slim chip shapes, about 1–2cm wide.
Butter a baking dish (about 1.5–2 litres capacity). Layer the potatoes and onions in the dish, adding the anchovies among the layers.
Mix the cream and milk and pour over the potatoes: they should be almost covered. Scatter the crispbread or breadcrumbs over the top.
Cover with foil and bake for 50 minutes, then remove the foil and bake for a further 10 minutes. Serve hot.
Tip: White onions are better in terms of the appearance of this dish, although it doesn’t really matter.
Reviews
Have you tried this recipe? Let us know how it went by leaving a comment below.
Thank you for your rating. Our team will get back to any queries as soon as possible.
Please note: Moderation is enabled and may delay your comment being posted. There is no need to resubmit your comment. By posting a comment you are agreeing to the website Terms of Use.
