The Scandinavian Open Sandwich

Open sandwiches (smörgås) are a favourite of mine and also one of the simplest things to create. You don’t need a recipe for them, it’s really just about using your favourite kind of bread and adding the toppings that you’d like to go on it.

Begin by spreading just the right amount of butter on your chosen bread. On the subject of bread, it really has had a bad press of late but we’re not talking about the beige, full of preservatives kind, no a lovely dark rye with pumpkin and sunflower seeds will do the job just nicely. For the topping, in Sweden it is common to use the typical, thinly sliced Swedish cheese, to which you can then add whatever you would like, including things like thinly sliced vegetables or fruit and pickles. There are an infinite number of different variations that you could use.

In my case, I am using a dark rye bread flavoured with caraway.  The topping, a generous mound of cream cheese flavoured with freshly grated horseradish, followed by my home hot smoked mackerel (available to buy at all supermarkets) and then lightly pickled beetroot and apple salad. Topped with the garlic of the north, dill!

Open sandwiches make for a marvellous simple snack or, if you have a couple of them, a satisfying lunch too. They are a really delicious way to have a simple, balanced meal.