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Swedish

Jansson's temptation

Non-vegetarian

Janssons frestelse

Matchstick potatoes and onions baked in cream with salty Swedish sprats until golden and bubbling — an indispensable dish on the Swedish Christmas table.

Jansson's temptation is a Swedish bake from Sweden, ready in about 1 hour 20 minutes and made with potato, anchovies and heavy cream. It serves 6 and is rated easy to cook.

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Prep
25 min
Cook
55 min
Total
1 h 20 min
Serves
6
Level
Easy
Calories
458

Ingredients

6 servings

Equipment

Method

  1. Step 1

    Heat the oven (opens in a new tab). Soften the onions (opens in a new tab) in half the butter (opens in a new tab) without browning.

    Onions frying golden in a pan
    How it looks · Photo: Magda Ehlers on Pexels

  2. Step 2

    Butter (opens in a new tab) a baking dish (opens in a new tab). Layer a third of the potatoes (opens in a new tab), half the onions (opens in a new tab) and half the fish, then repeat, finishing with potatoes. Season with pepper (opens in a new tab) and the salt.

  3. Step 3

    Pour over half the cream (and a little of the fish brine if you like), sprinkle with breadcrumbs (opens in a new tab) and dot with the rest of the butter (opens in a new tab).

    • 2 min
    Fresh herbs scattered over a finished dish
    How it looks · Photo: Klaus Nielsen on Pexels

  4. Step 4

    Bake for 25 minutes, pour over the remaining cream and bake for a further 25–30 minutes until the potatoes (opens in a new tab) are tender and the top is golden.

About this dish

Origin
Sweden · Well documentedThe origin of the name is debated.Also popular in FinlandMore food from Sweden
Dish
Dinner · Lunch · Casseroles & bakes · Side dishes
Cooking method
Oven-baked
Taste
creamy, salty, rich, umami
Diet
Pescatarian · No nut ingredients
All labelsPescatarian · Non-vegetarian · Flexitarian-friendly · Egg-free · No nut ingredients · No added sugar · Alcohol-free · Pork-free · Beef-free
Worked out from the ingredients. How labels work
Good for
Festive & celebration · Make-ahead
Cook more with
Potato · Anchovies · Heavy cream · Onion · Butter · Breadcrumbs
Techniques
Baking

Allergens

  • Contains: Milkfrom butter, heavy cream, breadcrumbs
  • Contains: Fishfrom anchovies
  • Contains: Wheatfrom breadcrumbs
  • Contains: Glutenfrom breadcrumbs
  • May contain: Soyfrom breadcrumbs
  • May contain: Sesamefrom breadcrumbs

Based on typical versions of these ingredients and not verified allergen-free. Brands differ and cross-contact happens, so always check labels. For severe allergies, follow your clinician’s advice.

Nutrition

458 kcal per serving

Calculated

1 serving ≈ 298 g · recipe makes 6

Where the energy comes from

  • Protein 10%
  • Carbohydrate 31%
  • Fat 59%
Nutrition per serving and per 100 g
NutrientPer servingPer 100 g*
Energy458 kcal154 kcal
Protein12.1 g4.1 g
Carbohydrate36.2 g12.1 g
Net carbohydrate31.9 g10.7 g
Sugars5 g1.7 g
Added sugars0 g0 g
Fibre4.3 g1.4 g
Fat30.4 g10.2 g
Saturated fat18.5 g6.2 g
Trans fat——
Cholesterol104 mg35 mg
Sodium940 mg315 mg
Salt equivalent2.3 g0.8 g
Vitamins & minerals per serving
Potassium
946 mg
Calcium
127 mg
Iron
2.6 mg
Magnesium
62 mg
Vitamin A (RAE)
311 µg
Vitamin C
36 mg
Vitamin D
1.4 µg
Vitamin B12
0.3 µg
Folate (DFE)
41 µg

How these numbers were made

  • Calculated from USDA FoodData Central (SR Legacy) per-100 g values and the listed quantities.
  • *Per 100 g of combined raw ingredients; the cooked dish may weigh more or less.
  • “—” means the value isn’t known for enough of the ingredients; it is never zero by default.
  • Values are estimates for guidance, not for medical dosing. U.S. Department of Agriculture, Agricultural Research Service. FoodData Central, 2019. fdc.nal.usda.gov.

Good to know

Tips

  • Don't rinse the cut potatoes — their starch helps thicken the cream.

Common mistakes

  • Using Mediterranean anchovies at the Swedish quantity makes the dish far too salty.
  • Cutting the potatoes too thick; they stay hard while the cream catches.

Serve with

  • Serve as part of a julbord with meatballs, ham and pickled herring.

Food safety

  • Refrigerate leftovers within 2 hours and reheat until piping hot.

Storage

  • Refrigerate for up to 2 days.

Reheating

  • Reheat covered in the oven until piping hot.

Original editorial recipe · FriendsPantry editorial · Not yet independently reviewed · Added · Updated

Recipe DNA

How this dish is built

Grouped by each ingredient’s role in the dish. Each band’s width is its share of the dish by weight. Choose a component to see what it does.

What the dish is built around

Main ingredient

Used in steps 1, 2, 3

Reviews & corrections

Reviews come from signed-in cooks and appear after a moderator checks them. We never show made-up ratings.

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