Ordinary Traditional Swedish Mealtime, Week 1

Janssons Frestelse

I've made it my goal to make a traditional or "very Swedish" for dinner at least once a week.  Having been here for over a year, I've come to realize that my culinary knowledge of Sweden doesn't go much further than meatballs and boiled potatoes.

My corridor hasn't been able to help me much. Like I mentioned in the previous post, it's mostly potatoes, rice and pasta happening in the kitchen.  But, you know who can help me? Wikipedia.  Cause whatever Wikipedia says has to right, right?  A quick look up on "Swedish Cuisine" has been guiding me through these dishes.

The first meal I'll share with you is very traditional, and you either love it or hate it.  Unfortunately, most of my corridormates have admitted to me that they hate it, and even the smell of it baking in the oven makes them want to gag.  Sounds like a nice introduction to Scandinavian cuisine, right?  This popular (or not so popular) dish is called Janssons Frestelse, translated to "Jansson's Temptation."  Who Jansson is, I have no clue.  All I know is that I like it, and so do my other international buddies (so much that I had to make it twice in one week).

With just four ingredients, it's dead easy to make, and the most strenuous step in preparing the casserole is peeling and cutting the potatoes, and perhaps apologizing to those in the corridor who can smell it through their bedroom doors!  The key ingredient that give Janssons Frestelse its distinct taste is ansjovis, or sprats.  These are not anchovies, but a special pickled sprat found in a small tin, with various spices.  I'll be honest, they're a tad bit fishy, but when mixed into the casserole, add just right amount of saltiness and flavour.  It's good!  It might be possible to find tins of pickled sprats in Ikea, but I'm not sure.  Here's how to make this delicious and creamy taste of Sweden, taken from this very reliable site:

Make some meatballs to soak up the creamy sauce!

Take 10 medium potatoes, and peel and cut them into match stick pieces. Don't cut them into pieces that are too large or thick, or else they will take longer to cook in the oven.  Next, take 2 onions, and peel and slice them thinly.  Grab a casserole dish and place a layer of potatoes on the bottom.  Then place some sliced onions on top, followed by some torn pieces of the pickled sprats (you should purchase 100-200 g of sprats).  Repeat this potato-onion-sprat layer, and finish with the potato layer at the top.  Pour the liquid from the pickled sprats tin over the casserole, followed by 300 mL of whipping cream.  Sprinkle over some breadcrumbs, and then bake at 225 degees C (about 400 degrees F) for 45 minutes, until the potatoes are soft.