Jansson's Temptation (Janssons Frestelse)

One of the most charming Swedish traditions is vickning.  To understand the tradition, you have to understand that Swedes are enthusiastic drinkers when at parties and a good party will go on until the wee hours of the morning.  To help soak up the alcohol and to politely signal the end of the party, a small fat laden meal will be served.  Usually a vickning has at least one warm dish, along with the ubiquitous hard bread and cheese.  A luxurious vickning may have some hot meatballs or sausages along with a delicious hot  creamy potato casserole, Janssens Temptation.  A portion of Jannsens is a perfect armor for facing the elements on the way home on a cold snowy night.

Janssens Tempation is not only traditional for a vickning, but is also present on the Swedish smorgasbord.  Although, Janssens is rarely served in Sweden as a side dish for a normal meal, I think it is delicious on its own for dinner, served with a green salad.  It would also be a fine dish to accompany slices of ham or a meatloaf.

The subtle flavor of this dish is from tinned Swedish ansjovis fillets. While the obvious translation would be anchovies, the fish are actually sprats, a kind of small herring.  They are pickled in sugar and salt and flavored with spices.  This spice mixture is what gives the casserole its characteristic flavor.  If you don't live in Sweden then you can find ansjovis at IKEA or at specialty shops. These days, you can buy them on-line, as well.  If you cannot get the Swedish kind, do not despair.  Use about half of a small tin of regular anchovies in oil, discarding the oil.  Then mix 1/8 teaspoon cloves, 1/8 teaspoon cinnamon, 1/8 teaspoon ginger, and one teaspoon of sugar, with a tablespoon of vinegar and a tablespoon of water. Sprinkle this mixture in the recipe instead of the tinned juices.

If the idea of fish marinated in spices sounds strange and perhaps not appetizing, ignore those thoughts.  The finished dish has a subtle savory flavor and is not at all overpowering.  

6 medium sized potatoes (about 1 kilo)

2 large yellow onions

1 (4 1/2 ounce) tin Swedish ansjovis fillets

1 to 2 cups cream

4 to 6 tablespoons dry bread crumbs

2 tablespoons butter

Preheat oven to 425F (200C).  Butter a 2 quart shallow baking dish.

Peel potatoes and cut into slices, and then again lengthwise, so that you have stick-shaped pieces.  Peel onions and cut off either end.  Cut into half, length-wise, and then slice into strips.  Chop the anchovy fillets into little pieces, reserving the juice.

Put half of the potatoes in the dish.  Top with half of the onions.  Sprinkle the anchovy over the mixture.  Then, layer on the rest of the onions and then the potatoes.  Sprinkle the juice from the anchovy tin over the casserole.  Pour in cream until it is about 3/4 way up the potatoes.  Sprinkle the breadcrumbs over the top in a nice even layer.  Chop up the butter into little bits and sprinkle on the top.  

Bake in the oven for 45 to 50 minutes until the potatoes are tender and the top is browned.  This dish can be made up to two days in advance and re-heated.  In fact, it is actually better if you make it the day before and re-heat it.  The cream is absorbed into the potatoes and the flavors will beautifully meld.

Lax Pudding

I had some leftover gravad lax from my New Year dinner.  This does not happen very often but I am always delighted when it does because then I have the makings of a hearty Lax Pudding. This is a classic Swedish dish which I first had for lunch in the famous Östermalms Saluhall market in Stockholm.  Nestled in this beautiful indoor food market are a variety of restaurants which serve delicious seafood.  A huge square of this pudding, swimming in butter, gives you plenty of energy for an afternoon of shopping!  This homemade version manages to taste rich and light at the same time.  A salad of arugula and fennel,lightly tossed in some lemon and olive oil, is an untraditional but perfect companion.

This recipe, which I adapted from my favorite Swedish cooking book, assumes that you are making it from scratch, so you do a quick and dirty salting of the fish, which is much easier than it sounds.

Serves 4 to 5

1 ¾ pounds (800 grams) of salmon

Salt

2 onions

Butter for frying and to melt for garnish

1 ¾ pounds (800 grams) waxy potatoes

1 big bunch dill

4 eggs

1 ¼ cup (3 deciliters) milk

½ cup (1 deciliter) cream

Pepper to taste

First, you have to salt the salmon.  Slice the salmon thinly.  Sprinkle each slice with salt on both sides.  Store in the refrigerator for at least three hours.  Meanwhile, boil the potatoes in salted water until just done (15 to 25 minutes, depending on the size of the potatoes).  Cool, peel and slice.

When you are ready to put together the pudding, dice the onion and fry in butter until until translucent and just starts to color.  Chop up the dill but save a few sprigs for a garnish.

Set the oven to 400 degrees F (200 degrees C).  Grease your dish with butter; either a cake tin with a detachable rim (if you want a elegant cake) or a baking dish.  If you use the spring form pan, make sure it does not leak by running some water in it and seeing if it drips out.  If it does leak, you can wrap the pan in tin-foil to avoid a big mess (don't ask how I know this).

Put in a thin layer of salmon.  Add a layer of potato.  Season lightly with peppar.  You do not need additional salt because the samlon is already heavily salted. Sprinkle on some of the onions and dill.  Continue to add layers of salmon and potato, seasoning, onion, and dill. Press the filling down a bit with your hands.  You should have 2 layers of salmon and 2 to 3 layers of potato.

Beat together the eggs, milk and cream and pour the mixture into the tin or baking dish.  Bake in the middle of the oven for about 40 minutes or until the pudding is lightly browned on the edges and the custard is set.  If you baked the pudding in a spring form pan, slide a thin knife around the edge before taking off the rim.

Serve hot with melted butter poured over the top.