I love a slice of bread with stuff on top. Butter and jam. Olive oil and salt. Melted cheese and hot sauce. Ricotta and honey. There’s a reason why we have that saying about sliced bread: It sets a high bar for quality and achievement.
The history of the open-faced sandwich reaches back at least to the Middle Ages, when thin slices of coarse bread called “trenchers” were used as plates. At the end of the meal, the diner would eat the food-soaked trencher (from which we get the expression trencherman) or give it away if she was satiated. Trenchers have the unique distinction of heralding both the open-faced sandwich and disposable tableware.
Around the globe, eaters share my enthusiasm for gilded bread. The French have tartines, the Italians bruschetta, the Spanish montaditos, the Germans butterbrot, and California gave us avocado toast. But perhaps the gold medal of open-faced sandwiches goes to the Danes, for whom the smørrebrød is a national obsession.
Traditional versions consist of buttered dark rye topped with everything from fresh vegetables to shrimp salad to potatoes to pickled herring. My spring recipe showcases tender roasted beets and crisp spring radishes cushioned by a horseradish cream and a tangy dill vinaigrette. One point of order: Smørrebrød is never eaten out of hand. One must use a fork and knife.
One of the lovely aspects of the smørrebrød is its endless versatility. Although a sour Danish rye bread often serves as the base and some form of fat is essential to prevent the bread from going soggy, the sky’s the limit when it comes to toppings. Arrange a lovely tableau of proteins and vegetables and you’ll have dinner and an art exhibit.
Jamie Samons wouldn’t eat a vegetable until she was 18 but has spent decades making up for lost time. In her free time, she enjoys exploring the flavors created by the admirable growers and producers who make Rhode Island delicious.
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