Open-Faced Sandwich with Dilly Trout Pate

Every week, Caroline Wright creates simple, civilized recipes for Food52 that feed four -- for under $20, in under 20 minutes.

Today: The humble sandwich serves as a familiar vessel for testing Scandinavian flavors. 

I love sandwiches, so much so that I have included a chapter in my new book about them. They don’t have to be humble or boring; in fact, they are a very simple way to try new flavors with very little fuss and ingredients. Even the simplest of sandwiches are comforting, and don’t have to be much more than a slice of bread spread with something tasty.

This open-faced sandwich is inspired by the Scandinavian smorgasborg, with smaller slices of pumpernickel spread with a mixture of chopped trout, herbs and cream. I felt that these sandwiches – neatly piled stacks of fresh flavors and textures, topped with a warm hard-boiled egg – are best served with a simple salad of dressed greens.

Open-Faced Sandwich with Dilly Trout Pate, Radish + Warm Hard-Boiled Egg

Serves 4

4 large eggs
4 ounces smoked trout
1/4 cup roughly chopped dill, plus a few extra fronds for serving
1/2 cup crème fraiche or sour cream
1 teaspoon Dijon mustard
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
4 slices pumpernickel sandwich bread, toasted
4 radishes, thinly sliced

See the full recipe (and save and print it) here.

As a freelance food writer and cook, I first wrote this style of recipe as a column on my blog, The Wright Recipes, as an excuse to cook good food for my friends in a quick and simple way. 

Twenty-Dollar, Twenty-Minute™ Meals grew into a cookbook that’s being published by Workman in May 2013. The recipes found here are original, made especially for Food52 to once again celebrate simple food with friends.

Photos by Caroline Wright