Jansson’s Temptation

By Craig Claiborne

Updated Dec. 14, 2020

Total Time
1 hour
Rating
4(51)
Comments
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Jansson’s Temptation was not created in Sweden at all, but in this country, Craig Claiborne found. The splendid dish, which is not unlike a casserole, is made with potatoes that have been cut into julienne strips and blended with anchovy fillets or sprats, plus cream and onions.

As the story goes, it was named after a 19th-century Swedish religious leader, Erik Janson, who brought his followers from Sweden to America and founded a community called Bishop Hill in Illinois. Mr. Janson preached staunchly against the pleasures of the flesh and appetite but had a weakness — a particular potato-and-anchovy dish. He was discovered devouring the dish so ravenously that it ruined his reputation. Mr. Claiborne said the story is probably apocryphal (even the spelling of the name is different).

Featured in: A SWEDISH COOK WHO BROUGHT HER ART TO AMERICA

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Ingredients

Yield:8 or more servings
  • 5 or 6Idaho potatoes, about 2 pounds
  • 1can (3½ ounces) anchovy fillets or sprats (available where fine imported foods are sold)
  • 1½cups thinly sliced onions
  • Freshly ground pepper to taste
  • 1½cups heavy cream
Ingredient Substitution Guide
Nutritional analysis per serving (8 servings)

301 calories; 17 grams fat; 11 grams saturated fat; 1 gram trans fat; 5 grams monounsaturated fat; 1 gram polyunsaturated fat; 29 grams carbohydrates; 4 grams dietary fiber; 3 grams sugars; 8 grams protein; 477 milligrams sodium

Note: The information shown is Edamam’s estimate based on available ingredients and preparation. It should not be considered a substitute for a professional nutritionist’s advice.

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Preparation

  1. Step 1

    Heat the oven to 375 degrees.

  2. Step 2

    Peel the potatoes and cut them into ¼-inch-thick slices. Stack the slices and cut them into ¼-inch-thick strips to resemble French fries. There should be about eight cups.

  3. Step 3

    Cover the bottom of a baking dish (an oval dish measuring 13 by 8 by 2 inches is ideal) with half of the strips. Drain the anchovies, reserving the liquid, and arrange them symmetrically over the potato layer. Pour the reserved liquid evenly over all.

  4. Step 4

    Scatter the onions and pepper over the top, and then scatter the remaining potatoes over them. Pour the cream over and sprinkle with pepper.

  5. Step 5

    Place in the oven and bake 45 minutes to one hour, until potatoes are done.

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Ratings

4 out of 5
51 user ratings
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Comments

ajp

They do serve this in Sweden, so I wonder if Claiborne is correct. This recipe is missing 1/2 stick of butter, which should be dotted over the casserole (so it browns beautifully). I covered it loosely with tinfoil for 45 minutes and then let it cook until the potatoes were cooked thoroughly and it was brown on top.

Donald

Sautéing the onions in butter before scattering them over improves the flavor if the dish tenfold. That's the way had it cooked and eaten it in Sweden. It's also nice to but buttered crumbs over the top before it goes in the oven. The crunchy contrast to the creamy potatoes is glorious.

Robert

The two comments below are essential to making this dish correctly. Thanks go out to these potato-lovers!

Jonellie56

I agree that the onions must be sautéed and small cubes of butter used at the end. I had this dish in Skane in 1989 and have been making it ever since.

Jonellie56

White pepper is best here.

Robert

The two comments below are essential to making this dish correctly. Thanks go out to these potato-lovers!

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