Sill gratin

Name: Sill gratin
Prep time: 15 min
Cook time: 1 h 30 min
Total time: 1 h 45 min
Yield: 6
Ingredients: 10 g butter, plus more for buttering the dish; 3 large onions, finely sliced; 275 g jar Elsinore Herring Dill Marinade; 400 ml double cream; 150 ml soured cream; 100 ml whole milk; 1.2 kg potatoes (I use Maris Piper), peeled and very finely sliced (use a mandoline if you have one, it will take much less time); 20 g pack dill, leaves roughly chopped

Diana Henry's sill gratin is an offshoot of the famous Swedish dish, Jansson’s temptation. It’s made with potatoes, cream and sprats cured with spices (not Mediterranean anchovies). Sill gratin uses cured herring instead, has a slightly more muted flavour and the jars of herring are easier to find than cans of Scandinavian cured sprats.

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Serves6
CourseMain meal
Prepare15 mins
Cook1 hr 30 mins
Total time1 hr 45 mins
PlusCooking time 1 hour 20 minutes - 1 hour 30 minutes

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10g butter, plus more for buttering the dish
3 large onions, finely sliced
275g jar Elsinore Herring Dill Marinade
400ml double cream
150ml soured cream
100ml whole milk
1.2kg potatoes (I use Maris Piper), peeled and very finely sliced (use a mandoline if you have one, it will take much less time)
½ x 20g pack dill, leaves roughly chopped

Butter an ovenproof dish of about 2L. Melt 10g butter in a large frying pan and sauté the onions on a low heat for 10 minutes, turning occasionally until soft and golden.
Strain the herrings. The jar contains small pieces. Cut each into fine strips to distribute them across the two layers you will create.
Heat the oven to 200ºC, gas mark 6. In a large saucepan that can hold all the potatoes, heat the double cream, soured cream and milk to just under the boil. Reduce the heat to low and add the potatoes, turning them over a couple of times to get them coated, then cook for 10 minutes. They should have lost their rawness but not be soft.
Lay a third of the potatoes and their liquid in the buttered dish, sprinkling over half the dill. Season with salt and pepper (you don’t need much salt, but you need pepper).
Spoon half the onions over the potatoes and lay half the herring pieces on top. Repeat the layers, then finish with the final third of the potatoes and their liquid.
Bake for 1 hour, then check the potatoes with a sharp knife. The potatoes should be completely tender throughout. If not, cover the top with foil to stop the dish getting too dark and return to the oven for 5-10 minutes more. Serve with a green salad or the beetroot, lentil, grape & chicory salad below.

Typical values per serving when made using specific products in recipe