Janssons Frestelse — Potato Gratin with Swedish Anchovy Fillets & Onions

Ingredients

• 2 lb waxy potatoes, peeled
• 2 Onions, sliced thin
• 5 oz Swedish Anchovy Fillets, plus 3 tbsp of their brine
• 1½ cups heavy cream
• 3 tbsp butter
• ⅓ cup dry breadcrumbs
• Black pepper

Method

1. Heat the oven to 400°F (205°C) and butter a baking dish. Cut the potatoes into matchsticks the thickness of a pencil — a knife job, not a grater job, or they collapse into mush.
2. Soften the Onions in 2 tbsp of the butter over medium heat until sweet and slack, 8 minutes.
3. Layer half the potatoes, all the Onions, and the Swedish Anchovy Fillets in the dish, then the rest of the potatoes. Grind pepper over; the fish brings the salt.
4. Pour the cream and the brine over the top, scatter the breadcrumbs, and dot with the remaining butter.
5. Bake 45–50 minutes, until a knife meets no resistance and the top is bronzed and bubbling at the edges. Rest 10 minutes so the cream sets before serving.