Get ready for a Scandinavian Christmas with these traditional recipes
In Scandinavia a julbord is traditionally served on Christmas Eve, a smorgasbord of typically pickled fish, cold baked ham and a hot, substantial dish like a creamy potato fish bake. In Norway, Christmas is a much more laid back affair to the UK. It’s simply a good honest meal, and much less extravagant gift giving. Rather than have one massive celebration, there tends to be smaller get-togethers throughout December and January.
Herring & beetroot salad
Just a spoonful of this richly flavoured salad will whet appetites for the rest of the meal.
Prep time:5 minutes
Serves: 6 as a starter
Ingredients
275g jar herrings in dill marinade
250g pack cooked beetroot
1 tbsp capers
¼ x 20g pack fresh dill, chopped
½ small red onion, sliced very thinly
2 tbsp double cream
6 thin slices of toasted rye bread, halved, to serve
Method
Drain the herrings, reserving the marinade. Drain and dice the beetroot, and place into a bowl. Add the capers, dill, red onion and herrings.
Add 2 tablespoons of the reserved marinade and the cream to the bowl, and stir well to combine. Cover and chill until ready to serve.
Spoon the salad and juices onto small pieces of toasted rye bread to serve.
Potato & anchovy bake
Traditional recipes for this hearty dish use pickled sprats, but anchovies are really delicious and far more widely available. Don’t be put off by the large quantity of anchovies – their flavour is readily absorbed by the potatoes and cream.
Prep time: 20 minutes
Cooking time: 1 hour 10 minutes
Serves: 6
Ingredients
1.2 kg floury potatoes, eg King Edwards
100g jar anchovies in olive oil
2 onions, thinly sliced
300ml double cream
150ml milk
50g butter
50g breadcrumbs
Watercress or baby leaf salad, to serve
Method
Preheat the oven to 190°C, gas mark 5. Grease a large, shallow baking dish. Very thinly slice the potatoes, then cut across into fine chips. They should be almost matchstick sized, but don’t worry if they end up chunkier.
Pour the oil from the anchovies into a large frying pan and gently fry the onions over a medium heat for 5 minutes to soften. Chop the anchovies into small pieces and mix with the onions. Using a slotted spoon, put the onion mixture into a bowl. Return the pan to the heat. Add the potatoes and turn in the oil left in the pan for 5 minutes. You may need to add a little extra oil.
Spread a quarter of the potatoes over the base of the baking dish. Spoon half the onion mixture on top, then another quarter of the potatoes. Layer the remaining onion mixture on top, then finally the rest of the potatoes. Combine the cream and milk with a little salt and black pepper, then pour into the dish.
Melt the butter and mix with the breadcrumbs. Scatter them over the surface of the potatoes. Bake for about 1 hour until the potatoes are tender and the breadcrumbs are golden. Leave to stand for a few minutes before serving with a watercress or baby leaf salad.
Julskinka crumbed ham
This is a sweet mustard and breadcrumb-crusted festive ham, served cold in wafer thin slices. It’s always worth cooking a large joint so there are plenty of leftovers for grazing on!
Preparation time:15 minutes + cooling
Cooking time:1 hour 50 minutes
Serves: 6, plus leftovers
Ingredients
2.3kg (approx) smoked or unsmoked British gammon joint
2 onions, halved
2 sticks celery, roughly chopped
3 bay leaves
1 tbsp black peppercorns
2 tsp whole cloves
2 tbsp wholegrain mustard
2 tbsp light brown muscovado sugar
25g white breadcrumbs
Method
Put the gammon in a large saucepan and add the onions, celery, bay leaves, peppercorns and cloves. Top up with cold water to cover the meat completely. Bring very gently to a simmer, cover with a lid or foil and cook over your lowest heat for 1½ hours until the ham is completely cooked through. If the ham is not completely submerged in liquid, turn it halfway through cooking. Leave to cool in the liquid, overnight if more convenient.
Preheat the oven to 200°C, gas mark 6. Drain the ham, remove any string and cut away the skin. Combine the mustard and sugar, and spread all over the fat. Press a layer of breadcrumbs on top, pushing down firmly with your hands. If liked, score the fat in a diamond pattern with the tip of a sharp knife.
Transfer to a roasting tin and bake for about 20 minutes until the breadcrumb crust is golden. Leave to cool, then chill until ready to serve.