For when it’s ‘wile wundy’ outside – Taste Scene

This is Nigella’s favourite potato dish – a bold claim, I think you’ll agree. Or as a friend of mine would say, a bold “spaeck.”

Jansson’s Temptation is a Swedish dish in origin and if I have my information correctly, it’s traditionally served around Christmas time.

Personally, I’m not sure if it’s my own favourite potato dish but I do know I’d rather have it more than once a year.

Crafted with match-stick-thin spuds, sliced onions, oil, cream and anchovies, it’s one of those ultra decadent dishes that I crave when the wind is trying to blow the roof off my house, as was the case last week.

“It’s wile wundy the day, boys,” the elderly gentleman in front of me at the shop told the girl at the checkout. I was in buying the anchovies precisely because it was so “wile wundy” but more than that, it would have frozen a brass monkey into smithereens and I needed to up my central heating via one of the most lip-smacking, the most savoury, the most satisfying bowl of loveliness that I’ve ever met.

“You’re right enough, Paddy,” the checkout girl said in reply. “And did you see the touch they’re gettin’ across the water?”

“Aye, a wile touch altogether,” agreed Paddy. “Ye’d be foundered even watchin’ the like of that on the TV, d’ye know that.”

“Sure-a-know. Stooped way the cawl, ye’d be.”

Paddy chuckled. “I’ll be gettin’ the superser on the night, boys.”

I coughed, half hoping it would bring this dissection of the prevailing meteorological conditions to a swift conclusion. Did these people not know I needed these anchovies as a matter of the gravest urgency? Did they not know I needed to make Nigella Lawson’s favourite potato dish within the next hour or I too would be ‘stooped with the cawl.’

Back at home and out of the ‘wund,’ I fired up this Jansson as fast as humanly possible and before too long I had a bowl in my lap in front of a blazing fire. Honestly and as God as my witness, I will never tire of how moreish this dish is. Maybe Nigella had the right of things when she said this was her favourite. All I know is that the more I ate, the better it tasted until at last, the bowl was empty and I mourned the loss of any left-overs.

The key with this dish is in the chopping of the spuds. The match-stick chips have to be really thin so that they’ll cook through in the time required and not become too crisp.

And before you say that you don’t like anchovies, this dish is more savoury than it is fishy, even with an entire tin of the little fish going in.

But don’t just take my word for it…

INGREDIENTS

1 tin of anchovies in olive oil or sunflower oil

1 onion, finely sliced

3 or 4 big spuds (I used Roosters), very finely chipped

125ml or double or whipping cream

lots of freshly ground black pepper

pinch of salt

chopped parsley

THE PLAN

Start by opening the tin of anchovies and dripping all the oil into your frying pan of choice.

Next fry up the onion for about ten minutes on a medium heat until very soft and sweet. As that’s happening, peel and chip the spuds. Take your time with this and make sure they’re good and thin.

When the onions are soft, dump in the match-stick chips and stir everything around to coat in the lovely aromatic oil. Cook for another five minutes or so until the chips are starting to wilt.

Finely chop the anchovies and add those to the pan along with the cream and lots of freshly ground black pepper. Stir everything up again and then retire to the oven (pre-heated to 170C) either in the frying pan (if it’s oven proof) or in a shallow oven proof dish.

Give it half an hour in the oven and then check to see if the chips are tender. If not, give it another ten minutes and test them again.

Up your central heating by serving in bowls with a pinch of salt (not too much, the anchovies will eb salty) and some chopped parsley.

Firing up the superser is optional.