Recipe | Jansson's Temptation

We don’t know who Jansson was but there’s no need to resist this Swedish winter staple – a potato dish proven to warm body and heart.

Serves 4-6

30g butter, plus extra for greasing

2 white onions, finely sliced

1kg maris piper potatoes, cut into batons

100g jar of anchovy fillets (or 2 tins pickled sprats – anchovies are an alternative option for those of us outside of Sweden)

500ml double cream

3 tbsp breadcrumbs

1 Melt the butter in a large pan and add the onions plus a generous pinch of salt. Cook gently for about 15 mins, or until they’re soft and golden, taking care to stir often to avoid them catching.

2 Meanwhile, preheat the oven to 200C/Fan 180C/Gas 6 and grease an ovenproof dish with a little butter.

3 Season the potatoes and then split them into three equal piles. Layer the first pile at the bottom of the dish, next add half of the cooked onions, followed by half of the anchovies or sprats. Add a second layer of potatoes, the remainder of the onions and the remainder of the anchovies or sprats. Finally, top with the last third of the potatoes.

4 Pour over the cream and push down any uncovered potatoes. Sprinkle over the breadcrumbs and cook for 60 mins. You want the top to be golden and the potatoes underneath to be soft. If the top is cooking too fast, cover it with foil and increase the cooking time until all layers of the potatoes are cooked. Let the dish rest for about 10-15 mins before serving.

This recipe is taken from our January issue’s ‘Gathering’ feature, a hygge Swedish feast for friends, which we have called ‘Comfort and Cheer’. It also includes recipes for Herring & Beetroot Salad, Swedish Glogg, Cucumber Pickles, Danish-Style Salad and Boozy Rice Pudding. The recipes are by Catherine Frawley and the photography is by Kay Prestney.

More hyggelich things for winter…

More from our January issue…

Recipe | Walnut and Rosemary Dauphinoise

This decadent dauphinoise is given a depth of flavour by parboiling the potatoes in stock and then the texture and taste of walnuts on top.  Serve it alongside the Christmas turkey and other sides from our Home Economics feature in our December issue, as a side to any meat dish, or on its own, on the sofa under a blanket any time you like.

Serves 6 

1.5kg floury potatoes (like King Edward or Maris Piper), peeled and cut in 1cm slices  

750ml veg or chicken stock, warmed 

4 garlic cloves, chopped 

4 sprigs of rosemary, chopped 

2 tbsp butter 

400ml cream 

75g walnuts, crushed 

1 Preheat the oven to 200C/Fan 180C/Gas 6. Place the potatoes in a large pot (save the peels for potato skin crisps – a great pre dinner snack or good for Boxing Day). Cover with the warm stock and boil until just tender. 

2 Place the garlic and rosemary in a large baking tray in the oven with the butter. 

3 When the potatoes are tender, gently spoon them into the dish with the butter, which should now be melted. Scatter the garlicky herbs over with a good pinch of pepper and a little salt, if needed, as you layer in the potatoes. Pour in the cream so it just covers the top of the spuds, if needed top up with the stock from cooking the potatoes.  

4 Scatter the walnuts on top. Slide into oven for around 30 mins to cook through, thicken and brown the top. 

 Find the rest of our recipes for Christmas Dinner (and clever ideas for using up the leftovers, too) in our December issue. The recipes are by Rachel de Thample and the photographs are by
Ali Allen.

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Recipe | Lamb hotpot and mustardy greens

Gather friends and family for an afternoon walk, then come home to hotpot and slow-cooked comfort food. The traditional Lancashire hotpot, originally made with mutton, makes a virtue of simplicity

Lamb hotpot

A hearty casserole that deserves its place as a classic

Serves 6–8
2 tbsp plain flour
900g diced lamb
2 tbsp vegetable oil
2 large onions, sliced
1 large garlic bulb, cloves peeled and left whole
8 small shallots, peeled
500g Chantenay carrots, scrubbed
1 tbsp Dijon mustard
1 tsp chopped fresh rosemary, plus extra to garnish
500ml chicken or vegetable stock
750g Maris Piper potatoes, unpeeled, scrubbed and cut into 5mm slices
40g butter, melted

1 Tip the flour into a bowl, and season with a few pinches of sea salt and a good grinding of black pepper. Add the lamb and toss to coat in the flour. Heat half the oil in a large ovenproof casserole dish and add the lamb (you may need to do this in two batches). Cook for 5–6 mins, until brown all over, then transfer to a plate with a slotted spoon and set aside.
2 Add the remaining oil to the same casserole dish and gently fry the onions for around 5 mins, until translucent. Add the garlic cloves and cook for a further minute before adding the shallots and carrots. Cook, stirring, for a further 2–3 mins.
3 Return the lamb to the casserole dish, and add the mustard and chopped rosemary. Season and stir well, before stirring through the stock.
4 Preheat oven to 180C/Fan 160C/ 350F. Arrange the potato slices on top of the lamb, overlapping slightly to create a lid for the hotpot. Brush with the melted butter, season with salt and black pepper, and cover with a lid or foil. Bake for 11⁄2 hours.
5 Remove the lid or foil, turn up the oven to 200C/Fan 180C/400F, and cook for a further 30–40 mins, or until the potatoes are golden brown. Garnish with rosemary sprigs.

Mustardy greens

A tangy mustard dressing is a punchy match for cabbage

Serves 4
200g savoy cabbage, shredded
200g curly kale
200g frozen peas
25g butter
2 tbsp wholegrain mustard
1 tbsp Dijon mustard

1 Cook the vegetables in a pan of boiling salted water for about 4 mins, or until just tender.
2 Drain the vegetables well. Return the pan to a low heat and gently melt together the butter and mustards. Return the vegetables to the pan, season and serve immediately.

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From our November issue:

More autumn recipes:

Recipe | Sweet potato with cauliflower and minted yoghurt

Good mood foods to welcome autumn and warm your cockles

In our September issue you’ll find a menu of ‘good mood food’ recipes designed to be as good for your wellbeing as they are for your tum. Jacket potatoes are a great comfort food and, combined with creamy minted yogurt, make they for a really filling no-fuss meal.

Serves 4
4 medium to large sweet potatoes
Extra virgin olive oil
Small head of cauliflower, cut into florets
250g natural yogurt (or dairy free alternative)
4 tbsp pomegranate seeds
2 large sprigs of mint, finely chopped, plus extra to garnish

1 Preheat the oven to 200C/Fan 180C/Gas 6. Prick the sweet potatoes with a fork and rub the skin with a little olive oil. Place on a tray and cook for about 40 mins (depending on size) until the insides are soft.
2 Spread the cauliflower florets onto a baking tray, drizzle with oil, season, and place in the oven for the last 20 mins of the potatoes’ cooking time.
3 Add the yogurt to a bowl, season to taste, then add the chopped mint and mix to combine. Set aside until the potatoes and cauliflower are cooked.
4 When the potatoes are done and cool enough to handle, cut a large deep cross to the top and open the potato up. Add the cauliflower, 2-3 tbsp of the yogurt mixture, then sprinkle over the pomegranate seeds and garnish with fresh mint.

Why it’s a mood booster: Sweet potatoes are lower in carbohydrates than the average spud, but have all the comforting benefits. Meanwhile, cauliflower is high in fibre and B vitamins; pomegranate is also a good source of fibre and vitamins A and C, while yogurt contains nutrients that help with bone health.

You can find the rest of the Good Mood Food recipes, inclusing salmon, greens and rice bowl, simple shakshuka and a banana and brazil nut tart from page 62 in our September issue. Buy this month's The Simple Things - buy, download or subscribe

More from our September issue…

More Autumn food inspiration…

Tastebud travels | Aloo gobi

Homemade rather than takeaway, this dry, potato and cauliflower curry is a revelation. Originally from the Punjab, it is now popular across India and Pakistan.

Serves 2 (or 4 as a side)
3 medium potatoes
1 medium cauliflower
4–5 tbsp vegetable or rapeseed oil
1⁄2 tsp block mustard seeds
About 12 fenugreek seeds
1⁄2 tsp cumin seeds
1 tsp ground coriander
1⁄2 tsp each of ground turmeric and ground cumin
1–2 dried red chillies, finely chopped
1 fresh green chilli, finely chopped
1 onion, peeled and finely chopped
4 tbsp frozen peas (optional)

TO GARNISH
Finely chopped fresh red chilli
2 tbsp chopped fresh coriander
Shavings of fresh coconut

1 Boil the potatoes in their skins until just tender when pierced with a skewer. Drain, leave to cool completely and then peel and cut into chunks.
2 Blanch the cauliflower in a pan of boiling water for 2 mins. Drain, cool and divide into small florets.
3 Heat the oil in a large shallow pan, add the mustard seeds and fry until they begin to pop. Add the fenugreek seeds, cumin seeds and ground spices, along with the chillies and onion. Stir well and fry over a low heat until the onion is soft and golden brown – approx 10 mins.
4 Add the cauliflower, cover the pan and cook for 5 mins or until almost tender. Add the peas (if using) and potato chunks, season with salt and re-cover the pan. Cook for l0 mins or until the potatoes are heated through. 
5 Serve garnished with chopped red chilli and coriander leaves, plus shavings of fresh coconut. 
 

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View the sampler here.

More from the January issue:

More food from afar:

Camping recipe | Smoky Boston beans & armadillo potatoes

No flames are required for this comfortingly simple cowboy supper of foil-wrapped herby spuds and a casserole of sweet, smoky beans – all of which is tucked into the hot, white coals to cook.

Serves 4
4 baking potatoes
30g salted butter
Handful of fresh thyme for the beans
1 tbsp olive oil
400g smoked bacon lardons
1 onion, roughly chopped
2 garlic cloves, finely chopped
2 tsp smoked paprika
1 tsp ground cumin
2tsp English mustard powder
2 tbsp tomato purée
1 tbsp black treacle
2 x 400g tins haricot beans in water
Handful of fresh parsley, roughly chopped
Natural yogurt, to serve

1 Using a sharp knife, cut slits widthways into each potato, working your way along from end to end – be careful to only cut three-quarters of the way down. Rub each potato generously with butter and carefully stuff sprigs of thyme in between some of the slits.
2 Individually wrap each potato in a double layer of foil and place directly on white coals (when the flames have died), for 30–40 mins, turning every 10 mins.
3 Cook the beans in either a Dutch oven* on an open fire or in a large saucepan on a camping stove. Heat the oil over a medium-high heat and add the lardons, frying for 5 mins until they just start to brown. Add the onion and continue to cook until softened.
4 Add garlic, paprika, cumin and mustard powder; stir thoroughly before stirring through the tomato purée and treacle. Add the beans along with the water from their tins, then half fill one of the tins with extra water and add that to the pan also.
5 Bring the beans to a simmer and allow to cook, stirring often, until the sauce has thickened – around 10–20 mins, depending on how you’re cooking them. Before serving, scatter the parsley over the beans.
6 To test the potatoes, give them a gentle squeeze: if they feel soft, they’re ready. Carefully unwrap each one and serve with a generous helping of beans and a dollop of yogurt.

* A Dutch oven is a lidded cast-iron or earthenware casserole robust enough to cook in the coals.

Turn to page 38 of August's The Simple Things for more of our camping special.

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View the sampler here

More from the August issue:

Camping recipes:

Recipe: Wood-roasted potatoes with thyme and garlic

These potatoes are simmered with lots of garlic and thyme to infuse them with flavour, then roasted over hot charcoal and oak wood chips with more garlic and thyme. This wonderful dish is brilliant straight from the grill.

Serves 4

800g Charlotte, Pink Fir Apple or other waxy potatoes
1 garlic bulb, cut in half, plus 4 extra garlic cloves, peeled
6 sprigs thyme
olive oil, for cooking
50g (31⁄2 tbsp) unsalted butter
sea salt and black pepper
For an extra-smoky flavour, you’ll also need some beech or oak chips

1 Place the potatoes in a medium saucepan, cover with cold water and add the halved garlic bulb and three of the thyme sprigs. Bring to the boil on the stove and cook until tender. Drain well and leave to cool, then cut the cooled potatoes into bite-sized chunks.

2 Light the barbecue and set for direct/indirect cooking (see “Food from Fire”, on page 43 of July's The Simple Things). Throw a handful of wood chips onto the coals, if you like.

3 Take a roasting tin or ovenproof frying pan large enough to hold the potatoes and place in the direct heat zone. Add a good lug of olive oil and, when the oil starts to smoke, add the potatoes and season well. Toss the potatoes in the oil to coat, then close the lid of the barbecue.

4 Cook for 4 minutes before tossing the potatoes again and adding another handful of wood chips, if using, to the coals. Cook for a further three minutes, then add the butter, extra garlic cloves and the leaves from the remaining three thyme sprigs. Toss the potatoes again, then transfer to the indirect heat zone and cook for 2 minutes, or until they are crisp and golden brown.

5 Serve the potatoes immediately, spooning over the pan sauces. 

Ben Tish is chef director at the Salt Yard Group, which runs four restaurants in London. Recipes are taken from his new book Grill Smoke BBQ (Quadrille) 

Turn to page 39 of July's The Simple Things for more barbecue recipes, including 

Beef bavette with smoky salad onions and salsa cruda
Barbecued mushrooms with rosemary and garlic
Wood-roasted potatoes
Charcoal-grilled chicory with pomegranate molasses
Crispy artichokes with lemon and sage
Smoky bitter-chocolate puddings with melting whipped cream

More from the July issue:

Read more Gathering recipes:

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View the sampler here

Recipes: Three ways with coffee

So much more than a liquid caffeine fix, roasted ground beans will enhance all kinds of recipes

Beef in espresso and stout sauce with hasselback potatoes

Serves 4

To make the hasselback potatoes:

1. Prepare 12 small potatoes by finely slicing 2mm slices almost through but not quite to the bottom. 
2. Rub cut potatoes with 25g softened butter, 1 heaped tsp smoked paprika, finely grated zest of 1 lemon and two generous pinches of coarse sea salt.
3. Arrange on a baking tray and roast in a hot oven (200C/Fan 180C/375F) for about 40 mins until brown and crispy.
4. Set cooked potatoes aside to add to the top of the finished casserole. 

To make the casserole:

1. Marinate 750g chuck steak, cut into chunks, in 35ml freshly made espresso, for min 4hrs.
2. Melt 30g butter in a large pan and brown 125g cubed, smoked bacon.
3. Transfer bacon into a casserole with a slotted spoon. In the buttery bacon fat, lightly brown 250g whole, peeled baby shallots and transfer to casserole.
4. Toss the marinated beef in 30g seasoned plain flour, shake off excess and brown in the same pan before transferring to casserole.
5. Deglaze the pan with a slosh of stout (from 330ml bottle) and add this, with any scrapings, to the casserole.
6. Add remaining stout and a bouquet garni (homemade or tea bag), season and bring to the boil on the stovetop.
7. Cover and place in a low oven (120C/Fan 100C/250F) for 1½hrs.
8. Brown 250g button mushrooms in a little butter and add to the casserole for a further hr of cooking (2½hrs total), until the meat is tender.

VOLCANO MARTINI 

Makes 1. 
To give your martini a hint of vanilla, add the seeds from a vanilla pod to 240ml cold-brewed coffee and leave to infuse overnight (or you could just add or drop or two of vanilla essence per martini). 
Combine 50ml vodka and 30ml vanilla-infused cold-brewed coffee in a lidded container, such a cocktail mixer. 
Add 10–25ml condensed milk, to taste; shake and double strain into a chilled martini glass. 
Dust with grated dark chocolate and serve. 

ESPRESSO MILLIONAIRE’S SHORTBREAD

Makes 24 squares. 
Preheat the oven to 180C/Fan 160C/350F. 
Line a 33x23cm shallow tin with parchment. 
Put 210g melted butter, 110g caster sugar, 1 tsp vanilla extract, 1/2 tsp salt, 260g plain flour and 2 tbsp ground espresso coffee into a food processor and blitz to form a paste-like ball of dough. 
Press evenly into prepared tin and bake for 25-30mins until firm. W
hen cool, spread over contents of a 400g can of dulce de leche; set aside. 
To make the ganache, chunk 200g dark chocolate and 75g white chocolate into a bowl with 2 tsp sunflower oil. 
Put 200ml cream with 2 tsp ground espresso coffee into a pan over a medium heat. 
Heat until just before it bubbles, then remove from heat and strain through a sieve into the chocolate and oil. 
Leave for 1 min, then whisk gently to combine until smooth. Pour over caramel and smooth with palette knife. 
Leave somewhere cool (not the fridge) to set, then cut into squares.

Recipes courtesy of Volcano Coffee Works (www.volcanocoffeeworks.com), a small batch speciality coffee roaster