This combination of crusty potatoes and salty anchovies will either appeal to you enormously or make no sense. One of the best-known dishes in Sweden, it’s served at almost every holiday party—logically, if you ask me, because it’s great snack food. It makes a good side dish for a hearty roast as well.

　　

Ingredients

makes 6 to 8 servings as a snack or side dish

　　6 to 8 potatoes, about 2 pounds

　　3 tablespoons butter, more or less

　　2 medium onions, roughly chopped

　　At least a dozen anchovy fillets (about one 2-ounce tin), chopped

　　Black pepper to taste

　　2 tablespoons bread crumbs, preferably homemade (page 580)

　　2 cups milk, cream, or half-and-half

　　

Step 1

Preheat the oven to 375°F. Peel the potatoes and slice them 1/8 to 1/4 inch thick (I use a food processor or mandoline). Place them in cold water to keep them from discoloring.

　　

Step 2

Put 2 tablespoons of the butter in a skillet and turn the heat to medium. When the butter melts, turn the heat up to medium-high and add the onions. Cook, stirring occasionally, until the onions are soft, about 5 minutes, then turn off the heat.

　　

Step 3

Butter a baking pan. Drain the potatoes and alternate layers of potatoes, anchovies, and onions, with potatoes as the top and bottom layers. Sprinkle black pepper liberally over each layer; you don’t need any salt. Top with the bread crumbs and a few dots of butter, then pour the milk or cream over the top. Bake for about 40 minutes or until the top is browned, the liquid is absorbed, and the potatoes are tender.

　　The Best Recipes in the World by Mark Bittman. © 2005 by Mark Bittman. Published by Broadway Books. All Rights Reserved.MARK BITTMAN is the author of the blockbuster The Best Recipes in the World (Broadway, 2005) and the classic bestseller How to Cook Everything, which has sold more than one million copies. He is also the coauthor, with Jean-Georges Vongerichten, of Simple to Spectacular and Jean-Georges: Cooking at Home with a Four-Star Chef. Mr. Bittman is a prolific writer, makes frequent appearances on radio and television, and is the host of The Best Recipes in the World, a 13-part series on public television. He lives in New York and Connecticut.