Jansson’s Temptation

Name: Jansson's Temptation
Total time: PT0D0H0M
Yield: serves 4-6
Ingredients: 20 sprat filets (2 3.5-oz. cans); 2 tbsp. vegetable oil; 4 tbsp. butter; 3 medium yellow onions, peeled and sliced; 6 medium boiling potatoes, peeled; 2 tsp. freshly ground white pepper; 2 tbsp. fine bread crumbs; 1 cup heavy cream

Serves
serves 4-6

RUSSELL KAYE

(Janssons Frestelse)

This dish may have been named for an ascetic 19th-century religious zealot who enjoyed it on the sly.

Ingredients

20 sprat filets (2 3.5-oz. cans)
2 tbsp. vegetable oil
4 tbsp. butter
3 medium yellow onions, peeled and sliced
6 medium boiling potatoes, peeled
2 tsp. freshly ground white pepper
2 tbsp. fine bread crumbs
1 cup heavy cream

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Instructions

Step 1

Drain sprats, reserving about 1⁄4 cup of the liquid. Dry filets thoroughly between paper towels.

Step 2

Heat oil and 2 tbsp. butter in a medium skillet over medium heat. Add onions and cook, stirring occasionally, until soft, about 20 minutes. Allow to cool.

Step 3

Preheat oven to 400°. Cut potatoes into lengths about 3" × 3⁄4". Do not rinse. Arrange about one-quarter of the potatoes in a buttered medium baking dish. Cover with one-third of the onions and one-third of the sprats. Season with pepper, then repeat process twice more, finishing with a layer of potatoes. Sprinkle top with bread crumbs, then dot with remaining 2 tbsp. butter.

Step 4

Warm cream in a small saucepan over medium heat. Add reserved sprat liquid, then pour over potatoes. Transfer to oven and bake until most of the liquid has been absorbed, about 1 hour. Serve warm.

Drain sprats, reserving about 1⁄4 cup of the liquid. Dry filets thoroughly between paper towels.
Heat oil and 2 tbsp. butter in a medium skillet over medium heat. Add onions and cook, stirring occasionally, until soft, about 20 minutes. Allow to cool.
Preheat oven to 400°. Cut potatoes into lengths about 3" × 3⁄4". Do not rinse. Arrange about one-quarter of the potatoes in a buttered medium baking dish. Cover with one-third of the onions and one-third of the sprats. Season with pepper, then repeat process twice more, finishing with a layer of potatoes. Sprinkle top with bread crumbs, then dot with remaining 2 tbsp. butter.
Warm cream in a small saucepan over medium heat. Add reserved sprat liquid, then pour over potatoes. Transfer to oven and bake until most of the liquid has been absorbed, about 1 hour. Serve warm.

Variation—Christer Larsson, chef-owner of Christer's restaurant in Manhattan, suggests making this dish with sauteed potatoes for a change of pace. Begin as in step 1 above, then cut the potatoes as in step 3 above. Saute potatoes in oil over medium-high heat until golden, about 15 minutes. Assemble and bake as in steps 3 and 4 above.