Crispy, crumbed topping meets creamy, savoury potato deliciousness. Could this be the perfect side dish? Maybe. And if not, if comes very, very close!
Before I take you through to the easy recipe, I want to acknowledge the fact that it is New Year’s Day, 2020. And as I sit here and type the words that form this rather belated blog post, I think about my annual tradition of setting intentions for the year ahead. For this year, I have hit upon a word – or theme – to use for this purpose, rather than a vision board. Having said that, in the spirit of years gone by, I have created a visual prompt for myself.
Here it is:
By “commit” I mean that I intend to be dedicated, devoted, giving, loyal, earnest, diligent, motivated, resolute, and essentially committed… to myself and my wellbeing throughout 2020 (and beyond).
“Me” might seem an obvious place to start when setting an intention for myself, but it is a genuine struggle for me to put myself at the top of my list of priorities, even if I know that doing so not only benefits me, but sees an improvement in my relationships to my family, my friends, my work… everything! And so, this is where I start my year; from a place of dedication to myself. This is not one big “goal” or resolution. Rather it is something that I want to be aware of each day, as I make decisions – big and small – from the time I wake to the time I go to bed. I want to be mindful of my needs, and gently accountable to myself. I truly believe that this will help me in all aspects of my life and enable me to navigate my way around certain health-related pitfalls that I experienced during 2019.
I am quietly excited about this coming year. And to kick it off, I am doing very simple things today, such as cleaning/tidying, purchasing a new diary (I love Moleskine planners), taking care of my skin with some of my favourite products and donating to a favourite charity (Animals Asia).
So now, to Janssons Frestelse! It is a classic Swedish potato bake-meets-casserole, traditionally made from potatoes, onions, cream and anchovies (or pickled sprats), topped with bread crumbs. When I asked my in-laws what they wanted us to contribute to the 2019 family julbord (Christmas buffet feast), Janssons was one of the dishes requested.
In this non-traditional vegan version of Janssons, I have aimed to recreate the creaminess and the crumbed topping of the traditional dish, while also adding the salty, umami and savoury notes that anchovies would ordinarily impart using plant-based ingredients instead. This version has a slightly Mediteranean flavour profile and is not meant to be an exact dupe of the original. Rather, it is inspired by my many Christmases spent in Sweden, with Janssons Frestelse making an appearance at every julbord, and flavours I grew up with.
It is definitely not a dish limited to being served at Christmas! Indeed, I think it is an ideal accompaniment for any dish that would ordinarily be served with boiled, mashed, roasted or gratinated potatoes.
We served it alongside roasted carrot, dukkah and kale salad, vegan sausages with apple sauce, and cauliflower “rice” salad with black beans.
I wish you and yours the happiest of beginnings to a new year and new decade.
, Marisa
—
Some New Year’s reflections that resonated with me when I came across them via Instagram:
“We’re all just walking each other home.”
– Ram Dass
(as seen on Sarah Wilson’s Instagram account)
“I am open to accept all opportunities, blessing, healing, love and light into my life.”
– Hippie Lane / Taline Gabriel
(as seen on Taline’s Instagram account)
“No resolutions for 2020, but the promise to to try my best to be kind and compassionate.”
– Silvia Colloca
(as seen on Silvia’s Instagram account)
—
Previous vision boards and New Year’s intentions:
2013
2014
2015
2016
2017
2018
2019
—
VEGAN JANSSONS FRESTELSE
A creamy, savoury potato bake, inspired by the Swedish classic
Makes 2 dishes, to serve 12-16 | Prep time: around 15-20 minutes
Cook time: about 60 minutes
INGREDIENTS
3 white onions
Oil of choice for frying
1500g (3 lbs, 5 oz) medium potatoes of a floury variety
150 ml (1/2 cup + a tbsp) pitted black olives, chopped
50 ml (3 heaped tbsp) sun dried tomatoes, chopped
400 ml (1 2/3 cup) oat cream (or gf non-dairy, unsweetened cream)
200 ml (3/4 cup + 1 tbsp) oat milk (or gf non-dairy, unsweetened milk of choice)
Salt and pepper to taste
Around 3 tbsp vegan butter
6 tbsp of crumbs (can be gf)
DIRECTIONS
Halve and slice each onion and fry the slices over low heat in a skillet/frying pan with a little oil, until softened, transparent and turning golden. Leave them to cool on the side.
Peel the potatoes and slice them matchstick fries-style.
Whisk together the oat cream, onions, chopped olives, and sun-dried tomatoes, along with a decent pinch of salt (to taste) and some freshly cracked black pepper.
Grease two ovenproof dishes, each of around 1.6 Litre (7-cup) capacity.
Add a layer of sliced potatoes to each dish then top with some of the savoury cream mix. Repeat until all potatoes and cream mix have been distributed more or less equally between the two dishes. Note that the liquid should not completely cover the potatoes, but remain about 1-2 centimetres (1/2 inch) below the top of the potatoes. This ensures the cream mix will not bubble over the top of the dish.
Sprinkle bread crumbs evenly over the tops of each dish, then distribute small clicks of vegan butter over the surface.
Bake the dishes on the lower rack of your oven at 200°C (400°F), fan.
If you find the tops of the potatoes are getting too much colour during the baking time, cover the dishes loosely with foil.
Remove the dishes from the oven when done, and allow to cool slightly before serving.
*This dish can be made in advance and refrigerated or frozen, before heating through to serve.
*To make gluten-free, use gluten-free non-dairy, unsweetened cream, milk and bread crumbs.
