History

Janssons Frestelse (Jansson's Temptation) appears in Swedish recipe collections from the late 1920s. The name was popularised when Elvira Stigmark, an Östermalm Stockholm hostess, served anchovy gratin under the name after seeing the 1928 Swedish film 'Janssons frestelse'; an earlier association with the 19th-century opera singer Per Adolf 'Pelle' Janzon is improbable since the dish was not called that during his lifetime. The recipe defines the modern Swedish julbord. Pelikan and Den Gyldene Freden run defensible Stockholm renditions through December.

Common allergens: Fish, Dairy

Make it at home

Yield 6Hands-on 25 minTotal 1 hr 45 minDifficulty Easy

Ingredients

  • 1.2kg waxy potatoes (Maris Piper or Charlotte), peeled
  • 3 medium yellow onions, finely sliced
  • 60g unsalted butter, plus more for the dish
  • 2 tins (125g each) Swedish ansjovis (pickled sprats, NOT salted anchovies; the brand Abba is canonical)
  • 300ml double cream
  • 300ml whole milk
  • 1/4 tsp white pepper
  • 1 tsp salt, plus more to taste
  • 40g dry breadcrumbs
  • 30g unsalted butter, melted (for topping)
  • 1 small bunch fresh dill, chopped, to garnish
  • Crispbread, to serve

Method

  1. Heat the oven to 200C. Butter a 28 by 20cm oven dish.
  2. Slice the potatoes into matchsticks 5mm thick; do not soak (you want the starch).
  3. Melt 60g butter in a large pan. Add the sliced onions and a pinch of salt. Cook 10 minutes over low heat until soft and translucent; do not brown.
  4. Drain the ansjovis from their tins; reserve the spiced brine (you will need 100ml of it).
  5. Layer half the potatoes in the buttered dish. Season with white pepper and a touch of salt.
  6. Spread the cooked onions over the potatoes. Lay the ansjovis fillets evenly across the onions.
  7. Top with the remaining potatoes. Season again.
  8. Whisk the cream and milk with the reserved ansjovis brine and 1 tsp salt. Pour evenly over the layered dish.
  9. Mix the breadcrumbs with the melted butter and scatter across the top.
  10. Bake for 60 to 70 minutes until deeply golden on top, the potatoes pierce easily, and the cream has reduced to a glossy coat around the bottom layer.
  11. Rest 10 minutes. Sprinkle with dill and serve with crispbread.

Tip from the editors. Use Swedish ansjovis (sweet-spiced pickled sprats), not Mediterranean anchovies in olive oil; the difference is the dish. Use the spiced brine.

Where to eat janssons frestelse

Janssons Frestelse in Stockholm

Den Gyldene Freden ★ 4.3

Swedish Classical$$$gamla-stan

Den Gyldene Freden on Österlånggatan in Stockholm's Gamla Stan opened in 1722 and remains the oldest restaurant in continuous operation under the same name.

Signature: Wallenbergare veal patty with mash, Janssons frestelse anchovy potato

Order: Wallenbergare with pea purée, lingonberry and brown butter potatoes.

Tip: Closed Sunday and Monday. The vaulted cellar is the heritage room; the upstairs table runs quieter.

Österlånggatan 51, 111 31 Stockholm Book →

Pelikan ★ 4.3

Swedish Husmanskost$$sodermalm

Pelikan on Blekingegatan in Stockholm's Södermalm has cooked husmanskost in the vaulted 1904 hall since the Pelikan name moved from Gamla Stan, meatballs.

Signature: Meatballs with cream sauce and lingonberry, Sillbord pickled herring board

Order: The meatball plate with mash, brown sauce, lingonberry and pickled cucumber.

Tip: The smaller dining room is calmer than the big hall. Skip the queue by booking the bar counter online.

Blekingegatan 40, 116 62 Stockholm Book →

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