Casserole of Jansson's Temptation
(click to enlarge)

Jansson's Temptation


Sweden   -   Janssons Frestelse
Makes:
Effort:
Sched:
DoAhead:  		 6 app
***
1-3/4 hr
Yes		 A very popular appetizer or first round Smörgâsbord dish in Sweden. It can be a light supper, and is often served as a last dish before guests head home. Be aware of a major translation error (Note-2)!




2-1/4
12
1
ar
1
ar
#
oz
can

c


Potatoes (1)  
Onion
Sprats (2)
Butter
Cream
Salt (3)
Make:   -   (1-3/4 hrs - 45 min work)
  1. Preheat the oven to 375°F/190°C.
  2. Peel POTATOES and cut into thin strips or grate coarse. I use a julienning vegetable peeler and just peel them into thin strips. Keep in cold water until needed to prevent browning
  3. Split ONIONS in half lengthwise and slice very thin crosswise. Fry stirring in a little oil until just wilted (no browning). Some recipes call for this, others just use the onions raw.
  4. Lift SPRATS from the can (keeping the liquid) and cut crosswise into pieces about 1/2 inch long.
  5. Butter a 7 by 11 inch baking dish well. Layer in 1/3 of the Potatoes, then spread half the Onions and dot with half the Sprat pieces. Follow with another third of the potatoes, and the rest of the Onions. Dot with the rest of the Sprats, then top with the last third of the Potatoes.
  6. Pour about 1/2 the Sprat liquid around over the potatoes, then dot the top with Butter. Finally pour in 1/2 the Cream. Note that some recipes call for bread crumbs over the top for more browning, but I have very authentic recipes that do not.
  7. Slip into the oven and bake for about 45 minutes. Pull and pour the rest of the cream over (being careful not to pour cold cream against hot glass). Put back into the oven for another 20 minutes.
NOTES:

  1. Potatoes:

      Red potatoes work well here, or White Rose. For details see our Potatoes page.

  2. Sprats:

      That's a 3-1/2 ounce can of Swedish sprats (not smoked Baltic sprats). Many recipes not in Swedish call for "Anchovies". This is wrong! Ansjovis in Swedish means Sprats. Actual anchovies are called sardeller. Swedish sprats are totally different from Baltic sprats. They are not smoked and are packed in sugar, salt, vinegar and spices (particularly cloves and cinnamon), and come about 20 fillets to a 3-1/2 ounce flat can yielding 2 ounces drained. Abba brand are no longer sold by IKEA and cost 2018 US $11 on-line (more than half for perishable shipping). For details see our Sprats page.

  3. Substitute #1:

      Matjes Herring pieces in the same brine may be easier to find locally than the Sprats and will work fine. Purchased on-line, they are similarly expensive to the Sprats due to perishable shipping.

  4. Substitute #2:

      Lithuanian pickled Sprats and Herring are easily availabe locally, at least here in Southern California. They are very fine substitutes, especially those marked "Scandinavian Style", but are always packed in light oil rather than brine. I suggest draining them well and making a substitute for the brine used in the recipe from 2 T Water, 1/2 t Wine Vinegar and 1/4 t each of Salt and Sugar.

  5. Herring Temptation:

      For this version, a salt pickled Herring is used. See our Atlantic Herring page for instructions on how to prepare this fish. Depending on how thoroughly de-salted the fillets are, you may need a light sprinkle of salt on the potato layers. I'd also go with the substitute brine discussed in Note-4.
  6. U.S. measure: t=teaspoon, T=Tablespoon, c=cup, qt=quart, oz=ounce, #=pound, cl=clove in=inch, ar=as required tt=to taste
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