Nordic smørrebrød with asparagus and horseradish cream

Vegetarian · Norway classic.

Ingredients

• 150ml Creme Fraiche
• 2 tblsp Horseradish
• 1 teaspoon Lemon Juice
• Pinch Salt
• Pinch Pepper
• Dash Vegetable Oil
• 2 Shallots
• Pinch Salt
• 8 White Asparagus
• 8 Asparagus
• 4 slices Rye Bread
• 1 tblsp Butter
• 100g Västerbottensost cheese
• Sprinking Dill
• Pinch Salt
• Pinch Black Pepper

Method

1. Mix together — To make the horseradish cream, mix the crème fraîche, grated horseradish, lemon juice, salt and white pepper in a bowl.
2. Fry — Refrigerate until serving. To make the crispy shallots, heat some vegetable oil in a frying pan over a medium heat.
3. Fry — Add the sliced shallots and fry until golden brown and crispy.
4. Drain — Remove with a slotted spoon and drain on a plate lined with kitchen paper.
5. Bring to a boil — Season with a pinch of salt. To make the open sandwich, bring a large saucepan of salted water to the boil, then blanch half of the asparagus (four white and four green) until tender-crisp, about 2–3 minutes.
6. Bring to a boil — Add ice to a bowl of cold water. Use a slotted spoon to remove the asparagus from the boiling water and immediately transfer to the iced water to stop cooking.
7. Serve — Thinly slice the remaining asparagus lengthwise to serve raw.
8. Grill — Pre-heat the grill until hot. Spread the rye bread with butter and grill until golden and crisp.
9. Grill — To serve, place the grilled bread slices on serving plates.
10. Continue cooking — Arrange both the blanched and raw asparagus on the bread.
11. Continue cooking — Drizzle with horseradish cream, then sprinkle grated cheese over the top.
12. Continue cooking — Garnish with the crispy shallots and some fresh dill to finish.

More Norway recipes

• Authentic Norwegian Kransekake
• Brun Lapskaus (Norwegian Beef Vegetable Stew)
• Cinnamon buns
• Fiskesuppe (Creamy Norwegian Fish Soup)
• Fyrstekake – Norwegian Prince Cake
• Karbonader (Lean Beef Patties) with Caramelized Onions