[3] The potatoes are cut into thin strips and layered in a roasting tin, alternating with the sprats and chopped onions in between.

Salt and pepper is put over each layer, then cream is added so that it almost fills the tin.

[6] It has often been associated with the opera singer Per Adolf "Pelle" Janzon (1844–1889), remembered as a gourmand, but any connection is unlikely, according to food writer Jens Linder.

[7] Another claim[4] for the origin of the name has been made by Gunnar Stigmark (1910–2001) in an article, "Så var det med Janssons frestelse", which appeared in the periodical Gastronomisk kalender.

According to Stigmark, the name was borrowed from the film Janssons frestelse (1928) featuring the film actor and director Edvin Adolphson; as a name for this dish, it was coined by Stigmark's mother and her hired female chef for the particular occasion of a society dinner, whence it spread to other households and eventually into cookbooks.