Jansson’s Temptation

The Usborne Children’s World Cookbook, p. 60 (Sweden)

1 lb. potatoes

2 large onions

1/3 cup butter

2 cans anchovies

A pinch of salt and pepper

1 cup milk

Little did I know that when I opened this can the contents would smell like actual feces.

Oven temperature: 400F.

Peel the potatoes and cut them into thin strips about 2 in. long. Put them into a bowl of cold water.

Peel the onions and chop them finely. Fry them gently in 2 tablespoons of the butter until they are soft.

Drain the potatoes in a colander. Put a layer of potatoes into a small, heatproof dish. Then, drain the anchovies.

Cover the potatoes with a layer of anchovies. 

I did enjoy cutting up the potatoes like this. It was a nice effect.

Then, cover the anchovies with a layer of the softened onions.

Repeat the layers of potato, anchovies and onion to the top of the dish, finishing with a layer of potatoes.

Add the salt and pepper. Then, carefully pour the milk all over the top. It will sink to the bottom of the dish.

I would be worried if it didn't?

Cut the rest of the butter into small pieces and dot them around the dish. Bake it for about 45 minutes.

It looks so warm and inviting, doesn't it?

My Rating: 2/5 "I'm not rating this as a total disaster because the recipe did what it was intended to do and I have a feeling that if I made it without the anchovies it would be delicious. But there WERE anchovies, and they were AWFUL. The smell was truly disgusting, it did not improve upon cooking, and it leeched into the entire dish. I ate a couple of bites and the flavor wasn't bad at all, but I just couldn't escape that SMELL. Jansson was a weird dude if this was his idea of temptation."