Lunch

Golden Beets with Arugula, Lightly Pickled Shallots, Rye Berries and Herbed Yogurt Sauce

March 8, 2019 by Kristi Leave a Comment

*earthy roasted beets pair beautifully with spicy arugula, bright pickled shallots, toothsome rye grains and a creamy yogurt sauce*

The Nordic region is famous for its wide array of rye breads, but cooked rye berries are delicious in and of themselves. Much like you might use barley or farro, rye berries make a tasty and nutritious addition to salads, soups or even as a side dish tossed olive oil and fresh herbs.

The inspiration for this recipe came from one of my favorite cookbooks, Deborah Madison’s In My Kitchen. Deborah is known as THE expert on vegetarian cooking and wrote the indispensable Vegetarian Cooking for Everyone. She was also a student (and sometimes cook) at the San Fransisco Zen Center for 18 years. You will find this book on my nightstand just as often as you will find it on my kitchen counter. There is something very peaceful and meditative about Deborah’s writing and her approach to food: simple and essential with immense respect for the ingredients themselves. This is what I imagine that new Nordic home cooking should be, the kind of cooking I strive to do more of in my own kitchen.

This dish pays homage to the idea of the simple, seasonal new Nordic kitchen. Beautiful, hearty and delicious, this combination of beets, rye berries, greens and creamy yogurt sauce is not to be missed. It makes an excellent lunch (see my notes below for taking it on the go), and it also makes a satisfying light dinner or first course. Whatever you do, don’t skip the Herbed Yogurt Sauce! It really takes this dish from good to great.

Golden Beets with Arugula, Lightly Pickled Shallots, Rye Berries and Herbed Yogurt Sauce

A beautiful combination of roasted beets, rye berries, dressed greens and an irresistible creamy yogurt sauce.

Author: Kristi
Prep Time: 20 minutes
Cook Time: 1 hour (largely unattended)
Total Time: 1 hour, 10 minutes
Yield: 2 generous servings
Category: salad, lunch, dinner
Cuisine: Scandinavian, Nordic

Ingredients

½ cup rye berries

1 bunch golden beets, preferably small to medium size

2 small shallots, cut thin into rings

2 tablespoons white wine vinegar

3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil, plus more for drizzling on beets

1 teaspoon honey

4-6 cups baby arugula

Coarse salt and freshly ground pepper

Herbed yogurt sauce for serving

Instructions

Place rye berries in a bowl with plenty of cold water. Cover and soak overnight at room temperature. Drain and rinse. Bring a medium size pot of water to a boil. Add salt. Add rye berries. Simmer vigorously until grains are pleasantly tender but still have a little bite to them, about 50-60 minutes. Drain and set aside to cool slightly.
Meanwhile, roast the beets: Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Wash and trim beets. Rub with olive oil and place inside a tightly sealed foil pouch. Roast until the beets are tender, about 45-60 minutes. The time will depend on the size of your beets. Open the foil pouch and set aside to cool. Once the beets are cool enough to handle, use a paper towel to help remove the skins from the beets. They should slide off quite easily.
Cover shallots with vinegar and set aside for 10 minutes. Whisk in honey and olive oil. Season with salt and pepper to taste.
Assemble the salad: Slice beets into wedges or circles. Sprinkle with a little salt and pepper. Toss arugula and ½-¾ cup of the cooked rye berries with the dressing and the shallots (you will have leftover rye berries). Season with more salt to taste if necessary. Artfully arrange on a platter with beet slices. Place a large dollop of Herbed Yogurt Sauce on the platter. Serve.

Notes

Feel free to substitute red beets for for the golden beets.

This would make a lovely mason jar salad to bring with you on the go! Layer the cooked rye on the bottom, then the beets, then the arugula. Package the dressing and yogurt sauce seperately.

Keywords: beets, salad, rye, herbed yogurt sauce

Herbed Yogurt Sauce

March 8, 2019 by Kristi Leave a Comment

This versatile sauce is an excellent one to have in your kitchen repertoire. Easy and packed with garlic and herb flavor, it goes nicely with all manner of vegetables, as a sauce for your lunchtime smørrebrød, or stirred into cooked lentils or chickpeas. You can play around with the types of tender herbs you use here. I chose dill and chives for spring, but come summer I might use basil, Italian parsley or cilantro. Or a combination of all three!

Herbed Yogurt Sauce

A creamy, garlicky, herby sauce that goes nicely with just about everything.

Author: Kristi
Prep Time: 10 minutes
Total Time: 10 minutes
Yield: 1 cup
Category: sauce
Cuisine: scandinavian, nordic

Ingredients

1 garlic clove, minced with a little salt and mashed to a paste using the side of your knife

1 cup plain whole milk yogurt

½ teaspoon ground cumin

⅛ teaspoon cayenne pepper

¼ cup chopped dill

¼ cup chopped chives

1 teaspoon extra-virgin olive oil

Coarse salt

Instructions

Combine all ingredients in a medium bowl. Season with salt to taste. Cover and store in the refrigerator until you are ready to use, preferably at least an hour or so to allow the flavors to marry. The sauce can be stored for up to three days refrigerated.

Notes

Adapted from In my Kitchen by Deborah Madison.

Keywords: yogurt, sauce, dill, chives

Pytt i Panna

February 28, 2019 by Kristi Leave a Comment

Now that you have a batch of Spicy Pickled Beets in the fridge, what to do with them (other than eat them straight from the jar)? Pytt i panna is a great place to start. Swedish for “pieces in a pan”, pytt i panna is traditionally made with leftover meat and potatoes, very much like what we call hash here in America. At its heart, pytt i panna is a dish that honors resourcefulness and creativity, it’s about using up the bits and pieces of whatever is languishing in the fridge and repurposing them into something delicious. This particular version is vegetarian, trading protein-rich chickpeas for the meat and including a little fresh spinach for brightness and green, earthy flavor. As far as I’m concerned, the fried egg and pickled beets are essential components of this dish. It would still be a tasty mix without them, but it is these ingredients that make this pytt i panna quintessentially Scandinavian.

Pytt i Panna

A tasty mix of leftover potatoes, chickpeas and spinach….topped with a fried egg and spicy pickled beets, of course!

Author: Kristi
Prep Time: 10 minutes
Cook Time: 10 minutes
Total Time: 20 minutes
Yield: Serves 2
Category: Dinner, Lunch, Easy, Vegetarian
Cuisine: Scandinavian, Nordic, Swedish

Ingredients

2 tablespoons olive or canola oil, divided

1 onion, finely diced

2-3 garlic cloves, minced

1 teaspoon chopped fresh thyme

2 tablespoons unsalted butter

2 cups leftover boiled new potatoes, cut into quarters

½ cup cooked chickpeas

2 cups packed baby spinach

Salt and freshly ground pepper

2 eggs

Spicy Pickled Beets, chopped, for serving

Instructions

1. Heat 1 tablespoon oil in a medium-size skillet (preferably nonstick or well-seasoned cast iron) over medium heat. Add onion and sauté until soft and beginning to brown, about 3 minutes.

2. Add garlic and thyme and sauté until aromatic, about 1 minute. Add butter. Once it has melted, add potatoes. Cook until warmed through and beginning to brown, 3-4 minutes.

3. Add chickpeas and cook until warmed through, about 2 minutes. Add spinach, in handfuls if necessary, and cook until wilted, another 2 minutes or so. Season everything to taste with salt and pepper. Set aside and keep warm.

4. Meanwhile, heat 1 tablespoon of oil in a small to medium-size nonstick skillet over medium heat. Crack eggs into the pan, season with salt and pepper and reduce heat to medium-low. Once the bottom of the eggs are set, carefully tip the pan and spoon some of the hot oil over the top of the eggs. Reduce heat to low and cover the pan. Cook until eggs are done to your liking, another 1 or 2 minutes if you like a runny yolk.

5. Serve the pytt i panna topped with a fried egg and the pickled beets.

Keywords: pytt i panna, hash, Scandinavian, Nordic, Swedish, vegetarian

Spicy Pickled Beets

February 28, 2019 by Kristi Leave a Comment

Pickled beets have long been a Scandinavian food staple. My Norwegian grandmother canned many batches of them each fall so that they might be enjoyed on their southwestern Minnesota farm through the cold winter months.

My mother would bring jars of pickled beets back with her when we visited the farm, and she would eat them as a little relish with all manner of dinners. I was not an early fan. When I went to my very first cooking school class, the instructor asked us to introduce ourselves and name our least favorite food. When it was my turn to share, I very quickly said beets, probably making a little disgusted face to go with it. The chef looked at me for a moment and then said, “I promise…you will like beets by the end of this class.” And so it was. I learned how to roast them in a hot oven, caramelizing their exterior and accentuating their earthy sweetness. I learned how to shred and sauté them in olive oil and fresh herbs, finishing them with a little tarragon vinegar. And since that first cooking class, almost 20 years ago, I have also learned to eat them shredded and raw in salads and on sandwiches, juice them and roast them whole. And I have loved beets in all of these forms. So why not pickled beets? I decided it was time to revisit them.

First, I decided I wanted to do a quick pickle variation rather than traditional canning process. The whole sterilizing of jars business is a production and, quite frankly, intimidates me a little bit. So these pickled beets are not designed for long-term storage. They are intended to be stored in the refrigerator and polished off within a couple of weeks. Second, I wanted a firmer texture than what I was accustomed to growing up. After doing a fair amount of research, I found that most pickled beets are boiled prior to pickling. One recipe I found, Alton Brown’s, called for roasting the beets instead. I thought that might improve the texture and decided to incorporate it into my own recipe. Finally, I began investigating the differences in the pickling brine itself. There were vastly different types and amounts of vinegar, spices and sugar in all of the recipes I researched. Because I feel that Nordic cuisine is meant to be simple in nature, I settled on a brine that called for good old-fashioned distilled white vinegar and a mere 1/4 cup of sugar. The spices I’ve chosen are some of the classics….bay leaf, peppercorns, all spice berries and juniper berries. One recipe that I found inLagom: The Swedish Art of Eating Harmoniouslyby Steffi Knowles-Dellner called for red chile pepper flakes. I couldn’t get the idea of a spicy pickled beet out of my mind. The pepper flakes were in. The final result is a spicy, briny, not too sweet, firmly textured pickled beet, ready to be used in or alongside all manner of Scandinavian dishes.

Spicy Pickled Beets

Pickled roasted beets with a kick!

Author: Kristi
Prep Time: 20 minutes
Cook Time: 45-60 minutes
Total Time: 1 hour 15 minutes
Yield: 12 ounces
Category: Beets
Method: Pickles
Cuisine: Scandinavian, Nordic

Ingredients

12 ounces small to medium-sized beets

extra virgin olive oil for drizzling

1 cup distilled white vinegar

1 cup water

1/4 sugar

1 teaspoon coarse (kosher) salt

5 all spice berries

10 juniper berries

10 peppercorns

1 bay leaf

1/2 teaspoon dried chile flakes

Instructions

1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Scrub and trim beets. Place beets on a large piece of foil and drizzle them with olive oil. Using your hands, rub oil onto the surface of the beets. Fold foil over and seal the edges making a pouch. Place pouch on a baking sheet and transfer to oven. Roast beets for 45-60 minutes, or until tender when pierced with a knife. Smaller beets will take less time than larger ones.

2. Remove beets from oven and open pouch. Let cool before handling. Once the beets are cool enough to work with, rub the skin off with a paper towel and slice into 1/2 inch thick wedges. Transfer to a quart sized mason jar.

3. Meanwhile, heat remaining ingredients over medium-low heat until sugar dissolves. Pour mixture into the jar with the beets. Allow to cool at room temperature. Cover and place in the fridge. Consume beets within two weeks.

Keywords: beets, pickled beets, roasted beets, Scandinavian, Nordic, Swedish

Balsamic-Glazed Mushroom Smørrebrød with Garlicky White Bean Purée

February 28, 2019 by Kristi Leave a Comment

balsamic glazed mushroom smørrebrød on sourdough with garlicky white bean puree and arugula — Balsamic-Glazed Mushroom Smørrebrød with Garlicky White Bean Purée

This is the time of year when I simultaneously crave something a little healthier AND something hearty and satisfying to carry me through these (hopefully) final days of winter. Let’s face it….a crisp salad just isn’t going to cut it. This Nordic open sandwich, however, hits all of the right notes. Crispy sourdough toast, creamy white bean purée and spicy glazed mushrooms come together to create a something that is both light and satisfying. We are breaking a couple of the “rules of smørrebrød” here…no dense rye bread and no butter. But trust me, the diversion is worth it. I love the way the creamy white bean spread pairs with the toasted sourdough. It makes a perfect wintertime lunch. If you are taking this on the go, I would suggest swapping out the toast from some rye crispbread and keeping the components separate until you are ready to assemble them and eat.

Balsamic-Glazed Mushroom Smørrebrød with Garlicky White Bean Purée

A tasty open face sandwich with glazed mushrooms and white been purée and sourdough bread. It also happens to be vegan!

Author: Kristi
Prep Time: 15 minutes
Cook Time: 15 minutes
Total Time: 30 minutes
Yield: 4 triangular sandwiches
Category: smørrebrød
Cuisine: Scandinavian, Nordic

Ingredients

2 large slices of sourdough bread

1 garlic clove, peeled

Garlicky White Bean Purée (recipe follows)

Handful of baby arugula

Balsamic-Glazed Mushrooms (recipe follows)

Instructions

Toast bread and slice on the diagonal in deep triangle shapes. Rub garlic clove over the surface of one side of the toast.
Spread a generous layer of Garlicky White Bean Purée over each slice of toast (there will be some purée left over).
Scatter arugula on top of the purée.
Place Balsamic-Glazed Mushrooms on top of arugula, dividing the mushrooms evenly between the 4 sandwiches. Serve.

Garlicky White Bean Purée

1 15 ounce can cannellini beans, rinsed and drained

2 tablespoons water

2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil

2 teaspoons freshly squeezed lemon juice

1 small clove garlic, minced

1 teaspoon chopped fresh rosemary

Salt and freshly ground pepper to taste

Reserve 1/4 cup of the beans and set aside. Place remaining beans in the work bowl of a food processor along with water, olive oil, lemon juice and garlic. Process until smooth.
Add rosemary and reserved beans and pulse until beans are slightly broken down and rosemary is combined into the mixture. Season to taste with salt and pepper.

Balsamic-Glazed Mushrooms

2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil

12 ounces cremini or white mushrooms, rinsed and cut into quarters

Course salt

1 tablespoon balsamic vinegar

1/4 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes

Heat olive oil in a 10-inch nonstick skillet over medium heat. Add mushrooms and a pinch of salt. Increase heat to medium-high and sauté mushrooms until tender and golden brown, approximately 7-9 minutes.
Add vinegar and crushed red pepper flakes. Reduce heat to medium low. Continue to cook until vinegar forms a light glaze over the mushrooms, about 1 minute. Season to taste with salt. Set aside to cool slightly.

Keywords: mushrooms, vegan, vegetarian, smørrebrød, smörgås, sandwich, white beans

Roasted Butternut Squash Smørrebrød with Spicy Harissa Mayo and Pepitas

February 27, 2019 by Kristi Leave a Comment

Remember that very traditional new potato smørrebrød I shared with you recently? This is a somewhat unconventional take on that concept. The same dense rye bread, butter and greens for a base, but this time topped with buttery roasted squash half-moons, spicy harissa mayonnaise, cilantro and pepitas. A complete break from tradition, but delicious in its own right.

Roasted Butternut Squash Smørrebrød with Spicy Harissa Mayo and Pepitas

A tasty but unconventional open face sandwich with roasted butternut squash and a spicy mayo.

Author: Kristi
Prep Time: 15 minutes
Cook Time: 30 minutes
Total Time: 45 minutes
Yield: 4 small sandwiches
Category: smørrebrød
Cuisine: Scandinavian, Nordic, Swedish

Ingredients

4 thin slices dense rye bread, a little over 1/4 inch thick

Butter, preferably salted

A handful or two of baby arugula leaves

Roasted Butternut Squash Half-Moons, recipe below

Spicy Harissa Mayonnaise, recipe below

a handful of cilantro leaves (removed from their stems but left whole)

1/4 cup pepitas (pumpkin seeds), toasted in a dry skillet

Instructions

Butter each slice of bread. Place a layer of baby arugula leaves on top. Arrange squash slices artfully over the arugula. Spoon Spicy Harissa Mayo over the squash. Scatter cilantro leaves and roasted pepitas on top. Serve.

Roasted Butternut Squash Half-Moons

Adapted from The Complete Vegetarian Cookbookfrom America’s Test Kitchen

Depending on the size of your squash, makes enough for approximately 4 sandwiches. Plan on about 6 slices of squash per sandwich.

1 Medium-sized butternut squash

2 tablespoons butter

Coarse salt and freshly ground pepper

Preheat oven to 425 degrees.
Cut the neck portion of the squash from the rounded bottom (ideally just above where the seeds start). Peel the neck portion of the squash using a y-shaped vegetable peeler. You can surely peel and use the bottom of the squash as well, cutting it in half and removing the seeds from the cavity with a spoon before proceeding with the recipe. I save the unpeeled bottom of the squash for my backyard chickens. They think it is about the best treat ever.
Carefully cut the peeled squash in half lengthwise, and then into 1/4 inch thick half-moon shapes.
Melt butter in a large bowl. Place squash slices in the bowl with the butter and toss until coated.
Lay squash slices in a single layer on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper. Season with salt and pepper.
Roast in the oven for 25-30 minutes or until the squash slices are soft and slightly caramelized on the bottom. Remove from oven and let cool to room temperature.

Squash can be prepared up to three days in advance and stored in the refrigerator. The squash is best if it is not cold from the fridge. Take it out 30 minutes or so before assembling sandwiches to warm slightly before using.

Spicy Harissa Mayonnaise

Makes approximately 1/4 cup

1/4 cup prepared mayonnaise

1 tablespoon prepared harissa (I use the one from Trader Joe’s)

Combine mayonnaise and harissa in a small bowl. Add more harissa to taste. Can be prepared up to two days in advance.

Keywords: smørrebrød, smörgås, open sandwich, rye, rugbrød, butternut squash, harissa, Scandinavian, Nordic

New Potato Smørrebrød with Garlic Aïoli and Crispy Shallots

February 27, 2019 by Kristi Leave a Comment

A confession….I am not from Sweden, Denmark or Norway. I am an American with Scandinavian roots. My grandmother on my Dad’s side was Swedish, my grandmother on my Mom’s side was Norwegian and Danish, and my grandfather was Norwegian. Growing up here in the United States in the 1970’s and 80’s, my family ate a very typical American diet. The only time that we really prepared foods that reflected our Scandinavian heritage was during the holidays. Beginning with lefse (Norwegian potato flatbread) at Thanksgiving and continuing on through Christmas with rommegröt (Norwegian sour cream pudding), pickled herring, stirred lingonberries, Swedish meatballs and pancakes (just to name a few), we managed to pack a lot of Nordic recipes into a short 6 week time frame. But the rest of the year…not so much.

As I’ve grown older, I’ve wondered about this holiday-centric approach to celebrating one’s ancestry in the kitchen, which I’m sure is not unique to my family. I began to be curious about what Scandinavians ate on an every day basis, not just at Christmas. I’ve done a lot of reading, cooking and baking on the subject and I’m hoping to share a bit of what I’ve learned here on the blog. Know that what I share here in terms of recipes is simply my take on what I’ve read and learned about Nordic cuisine over the last few years and through my experience of growing up in a family with Scandinavian heritage. I don’t claim to be an expert (I’ve never even travelled to Scandinavia!), but I will share with you the unique ways in which I am inspired by Nordic cuisine in my own kitchen. And I’m sure I’ll share a family recipe or two along the way!

In my last post, we covered the basics of smørrebrød. Let’s get down to business with this classic example of the Nordic open face sandwich. My research suggests that Scandinavians are fond of putting cold potatoes on their sandwiches. This might sound odd but it is actually quite delicious and a fabulous use for leftover boiled potatoes from last night’s dinner. Thinly sliced potatoes with a garlicky mayo sauce and crispy shallots that taste like little baby onion rings. What’s not to love?

New Potato Smørrebrød with Garlic Aïoli and Crispy Shallots

A traditional Nordic open face sandwich with thinly sliced new potatoes, garlic aïoli and crispy shallots on buttered rye bread.

Author: Kristi
Prep Time: 10 minutes
Cook Time: 20 minutes
Total Time: 30 minutes
Yield: 4 small sandwiches (serves 2)
Category: smørrebrød
Cuisine: Scandinavian, Nordic, Swedish

Ingredients

4 thin slices dense rye bread, a little over 1/4 inch thick

Butter, preferably salted

A handful or two of baby arugula leaves

4-5 new potatoes

Quick Aïoli, recipe below

Crispy shallots, recipe below

1 Tablespoon chopped chives or dill, and/or microgreens

Salt and freshly ground pepper

Instructions

Place new potatoes in cold water. Bring to a boil over medium-high heat and continue to cook for 10-15 minutes, until potatoes are tender but not falling apart. Smaller potatoes will obviously cook more quickly than larger potatoes. Check doneness by piercing a potato or two with the tip of a sharp knife. It should slide in and out easily without much resistance. Drain potatoes and rinse with cold water. Set aside to cool. Potatoes can be prepared up to three days in advance. Store in the refrigerator.
Butter each slice of bread. Place a layer of baby arugula leaves on top. Slice new potatoes into thin (1/4 inch thick) slices and arrange artfully over the arugula. Salt and pepper the potato slices to taste. Drizzle aïoli over potatoes (I like to place the sauce in the center between the two rows of potato slices) and scatter crispy shallots and herbs and/or microgreens on top. Serve.

Quick Aïoli

Adapted from Bon Appetit magazine

Makes 1/4 cup

1 small garlic clove

1 teaspoon lemon juice

1/4 cup prepared mayonnaise

1 teaspoon extra-virgin olive oil

Salt and pepper

Mince garlic clove and let sit in lemon juice for 10 minutes or so to mellow out the raw garlic flavor. Add mayonnaise and olive oil. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Aïoli can be made up three days in advance. Store in the refrigerator.

Crispy Fried Shallots

Adapted from The Scandi Kitchen by Brontë Aurell

Makes approximately 1 cup of shallots

3 medium-size shallots, sliced into thin rings, rings separated from one another

1/4 cup all purpose flour

1/4 teaspoon fine salt

Freshly ground pepper

1 cup canola, peanut or vegetable oil for frying

Course sea salt for sprinkling

Combine flour, salt and a few grinds of pepper in a large ziploc bag. Add shallots, seal and toss around until shallots are coated with flour mixture.
Meanwhile, heat oil in a large saucepan until it reaches 280 degrees. It’s worth using a thermometer here if you have one. If the oil is too hot, the shallots will burn and if it is too cool they will be soggy.
Remove half of the shallots from the bag, shaking off any excess flour. Place in pan and fry until golden brown and crispy. This may take as little as two minutes or as long as five. Keep your eye on them and look for the visual cues. Remove from oil using a slotted spoon. Place on paper towels and allow to drain. Sprinkle with sea salt and allow them to cool slightly and crisp up. Repeat with the other half of the shallots.

Shallots can be used immediately or stored in the refrigerator for 5-7 days. Mine usually stay pretty crisp, but you could warm them in a 200 degree oven to crisp them up if necessary.

Notes

Adapted from The Scandi Kitchen by Brontë Aurell and Open Sandwiches by Trine Hahnemann

Keywords: smørrebrød, smörgås, open sandwich, rye, rugbrød, new potato, Scandinavian, Nordic

The Basics of Smørrebrød

February 27, 2019 by Kristi Leave a Comment

“The fastest way to understand the Nordic region’s food culture is to eat an open sandwich topped with butter and hard cheese.”

-Magnus Nilsson, The Nordic Cookbook

The Nordic region’s food culture is largely based on bread. According to The Nordic Cookbook, before potatoes arrived on the Scandinavian mainland in the early 1800’s, most people ate one to two pounds of bread a day! It’s no wonder that the open sandwich (smørrebrød in Danish, smørbrød in Norwegian and smörgås in Swedish) became a staple of Nordic cuisine. The origins of the Nordic open sandwich can be traced back at least as far as the Middle Ages. At that time it would have been a rather simple affair….probably some kind of fat (butter or animal fat) spread on a dense rye bread with leftover meat or vegetables piled on top. As fresh ingredients became more available, the open sandwich evolved into something more refined and elegant, particularly in Denmark where smørrebrød is now practically an art form. There are entire restaurants devoted to the open sandwich in Denmark, and it is even possible to attain the a professional qualification known as, “Open Sandwich Master”. But not all open sandwiches are fussy restaurant affairs. Generally speaking, Nordic cuisine has an elegant simplicity to it, and a sandwich made at home might be as basic as a buttered slice of rye bread and a few slices of cheese or last night’s leftovers arranged on top.

Trine Hahnemann outlines a few rules for constructing smørrebrød in her book, Open Sandwiches. I have included some of them here along with a few of my own to help you put together an open sandwich you can be proud of:

Barring a few exceptions, Nordic open sandwiches are served on dense rye bread which has been sliced quite thin. I like my slices just a little over 1/4 inch thick.
If you are using a dense rye, the bread is simply sliced, not toasted. Sometimes I will do a light toast on mine just to freshen up the bread slightly without causing the exterior to get crispy.
The bread is usually buttered quite liberally with salted butter. If you don’t usually stock salted butter, you can use unsalted butter and sprinkle a little kosher salt on it after you spread it on the bread.
There is typically one main topping and a combinations of condiments. A well-designed smørrebrød has a variety of flavors and textures that come together to create a sandwich that is more delicious than the individual components might suggest.
Smørrebrød doesn’t have to be fancy, but it should be pleasing to the eye. That’s part of the fun of the open face sandwich…with no top to disguise what’s inside there is much opportunity for creating something that is as beautiful as it is delicious.
Season as you layer. If your main ingredient is sliced cold potatoes or hard-boiled egg slices, you are going to want to season that particular layer with salt and pepper before adding the remaining condiments.
Think about your layering, both in terms of visual presentation and what makes sense in terms of the temperature and shape of the main ingredient. If your topping is warm roast pork, for example, you aren’t going to want to put tender arugula leaves underneath it. That’s a recipe for soggy greens. Layer in a way that lets each ingredient shine.
If you really want to get serious about aesthetics, consider placing any sauces that you are using into a squeeze bottle, plastic piping bag or ziploc bag (with a corner of the bag cut off). This allows you to squeeze the sauce onto the sandwich exactly where you want it. It can be difficult to artfully arrange sauces with just a spoon.
Unless it really doesn’t seem appropriate, always add a shower of something small and green on the very top for garnish. Chopped fresh herbs, microgreens, sprouts, or watercress are all good choices.
If you’ve created a lovely smørrebrød piled high with delicious ingredients, don’t try and pick the whole thing up and take a bite. These sandwiches are usually a knife and fork affair.

Picasso once said, “learn the rules like a pro so you can break them like an artist.” Make a classic smørrebrød or two (recipes to follow), but also get into the kitchen and play! Let your bread be your canvas and get creative. Anything goes when it comes to designing your own open face sandwiches.