Jansson’s temptation: Hearty potato casserole from Sweden
A popular dish that should not be missing from the Swedish Christmas buffet is Jansson’s temptation (Jansson’s Frestelse in Swedish). The uncomplicated potato casserole with cream, onions and anchovies is a real soul food that is not only very popular at the festive season. Here you can find out how to make this delicious traditional Swedish dish at home.
Jansson’s temptation Recipe
- 2 Large onions
- 8 Medium floury potatoes
- Butter
- 125 g Anchovy fillets from the tin
- 200 ml Cream
- Salt
- Pepper
- Breadcrumbs
- Parsley
- Chopping board
- Knife
- Pan
- Casserole dish
- Ingredients
- 2 Large onions
- •8 Medium floury potatoes
- • Butter
- Utils
- Chopping board
- •Knife
- •Pan
Cut the onions into thin strips and fry in a tablespoon of butter for about five minutes. Peel the potatoes and cut into thin strips or thin slices.
- Ingredients
- 125 g Anchovy fillets from the tin
- •200 ml Cream
- • Salt
- • Pepper
- • Breadcrumbs
- • Butter
- Utils
- Casserole dish
Place half of the potatoes in a baking dish. Cover with onions. Remove the anchovies from the tin – keep the liquid! – and add to the potato and onion mixture, either directly or chopped, as desired. Then cover with the remaining potatoes. Season with salt and pepper. Mix the cream and one or two tablespoons of the anchovy liquid and pour over the potatoes. Sprinkle with breadcrumbs or breadcrumbs.
- Ingredients
- Parsley
Bake at 200 °C for about an hour. Finely chop the parsley and sprinkle over the casserole before serving.
In the original Swedish recipe, spicy pickled anchovies (Swedish: ansjovis) are used. These “fake” anchovies are sprat fillets, which are somewhat milder in taste and are reminiscent of matjes – so if you can’t find the right anchovies, you can also use matjes, but Appetitsild is best. You can also use anchovy fillets, but you should be careful with the very salty marinade. They also lack the original taste.
Jansson’s temptation history: Where does the Swedish potato casserole come from?
Jansson’s temptation is known and loved throughout Sweden, but it has a special significance in the Småland region, where, according to stories, it was and is often prepared as a hearty meal for the factory workers at the numerous glass-blowing factories in the glass furnaces. Otherwise, it is particularly popular at Christmas, as it is warming, delicious and easy to prepare.
It is not exactly clear why the casserole is called Janssons Frestelse. The Swedish opera singer and gourmet Per Adolf “Pelle” Janzon is thought to be the creator, while other sources claim that “Jansson” was the crush of an unnamed restaurant owner who wanted to impress him with the dish.
The Swedish author Gunnar Stigmark, on the other hand, wrote in an article that the name comes from the Swedish film of the same name from 1929 and was adopted by his mother and another cook for the dish.
Other variants of Jansson’s temptation without anchovies
In addition to Jansson’s temptation, there are also other potato casserole temptations. Karlsson’s temptation is a variant in which kippers, i.e. smoked herring, are used instead of sprats. The vegetarian version without fish is called Svensson’s temptation and is just as delicious.
