Smørrebrød, ideas for Danish open-faced sandwiches
Smørrebrød, Danish open-faced sandwiches, come in just about any combination of meats, fish, cheese, and vegetables you can imagine. What's common to all, however, is the bread: dark, substantial Danish rye chock-full of seeds slathered with a thick layer of high-quality sweet butter.
The bread can be hard to find, and making it yourself is not a task to be taken lightly. But Ikea's Swedish Food Market at its Conshohocken and South Philadelphia stores offers an easy alternative. Ikea's Brødmix Flerkorn multigrain bread mix comes in its own container: Just add water, shake to mix, pour into a loaf pan, and bake. Once cool, thinly slice and serve.
Unlike the sandwiches you might pack in a lunch box, these open-face varieties are meant to be tackled with knife and fork. Aquavit and/or beer are natural accompaniments.
Here are some ideas for Smørrebrød, but they're just a starting point for your own favorite flavors. Just remember to butter the rye slices first.
Smoked herring, grated radish, chive, chopped hard-boiled egg yolk.
Sliced boiled potato, pickled herring, red and white onion rings.
Lobster, asparagus, flavored mayonnaise.
Sardines, chopped onion, capers, chopped hard-boiled egg yolk.
Anchovy, beet, caper, horse-radish, chopped onion, chopped hard-boiled egg yolk.
Roast beef, tomato, cucumber salad.
Ham, camembert cheese, chives, chopped hard-boiled egg yolk.
Salmon salad made with mayonnaise, sliced cucumber.
Chicken salad, sliced avocado.
Havarti cheese, tomato slices, crisp bacon strips.
— Robert Libkind