Day 317*: filling in the gap

*You’re not reading that wrong: back in December - arguably the most chaotic time of the year, and in my usual haste to post these days - I somehow skipped from Day 316 to 318 in the titles of my blog entries, which means I’m in debt for the total sum of one day.

What better way to fill that gap and settle the sum than with this creamy, sprat-spiked chip gratin, here enjoyed with home-cooked ham and buttered petits pois: Day 317 is Nigella’s Jansson’s Temptation. I know it’s from the Christmas chapter of Cook Eat Repeat, and at it’s most popular on Christmas Eve (and Easter?) in the country from which it hails, but I see no reason to restrict this luscious joy to just certain feasts of the year; coincidentally, however, Day 317 would have actually fallen some time around the week before Christmas (2022), so this is quite the fitting choice, me thinks.

I can tell you right now, two years ago I would have opened the tin of ansjovis and ran a mile; raw cured/pickled fish was a big no go for me and brought with it childhood food traumas from when I lived in Norway, where jars of preserved herring (sursild) of all sorts of flavours graced the breakfast tables of most of our local friends’ and I could just never bring myself to try it. I felt my stomach give a little gurgle when I opened these, but I had a word with myself, straightened my posture, sucked it up and tried a bit of one. It was really quite delicious - briny and herbal. Watching the cherubs take a whole one, dangle it over their mouths, drop it in and chew was a little bit too much for me, but I am so pleased that they’ll try just about anything (and 99.9% of the time love it too). I am jealous of the lack of squeamishness of our children.

Nigella’s Jansson’s Temptation

I bloody love a gratin and this one will feature frequently!

The recipe for Nigella’s Jansson’s Temptation can be found in Cook Eat Repeat and on nigella.com (link below).