Recipe: Sweet Potato, Goat Cheese, and Apple Smørrebrød

From Nichole Accetola's 'Scandinavian from Scratch'

Photograph by Anders Schønnemann.

Sweet Potato , Goat Cheese, and Apple Smørrebrød

Traditional Danish open-faced sandwiches are topped with meat or fish and skimp on the vegetables. Modern smørrebrød, however, break that old framework, and you can now find splendid plant-forward options in Denmark. Our talented line cook Charlie Richardson concocted the idea behind this sandwich, and as soon as we tasted it, we knew it was a winner. The combination of soft sweet potatoes; salty, tangy goat cheese; crunchy, toasted walnuts; and crisp and tart apples brings a range of textures and tastes to each bite. Goat cheese is a favorite ingredient of mine, but a crumbly blue or feta would work just as well. While roasting the sweet potatoes takes an hour (be sure to factor that into your prep time), this smørrebrød is quick to assemble.

MAKES 6 SANDWICHES

2 pounds (900 g) sweet potato

½ cup (60 g) walnuts

1 tablespoon olive oil

1 clove garlic, minced

⅓ cup (75 g) sour cream

1 teaspoon kosher salt, plus more as needed

¼ teaspoon freshly ground decorticated cardamom (see page 21)

2 large green apples (such as Granny Smith or similar)

For assembly

6 freshly cut slices

Sprouted Rye Bread (page 198)

1 tablespoon unsalted butter, at room temperature

½ cup (75 g) goat cheese

Freshly ground black pepper

2 to 3 tablespoons minced fresh herbs

Preheat the oven to 375°F (190°C).

Place the sweet potatoes on a baking tray and bake for about 1 hour, until deflated and very soft. Let the sweet potatoes cool before handling. Meanwhile, place the walnuts on a separate baking tray and toast them in the oven until lightly browned, 6 to 8 minutes. Let the walnuts cool, then coarsely chop them.

Remove and discard the sweet potato skins and transfer the flesh to a medium bowl and, using a fork or whisk, mash the sweet potatoes into a semismooth puree with only small chunks remaining.

In a small saucepan over low heat, heat the olive oil and garlic until it just begins to sizzle, without browning. Add the garlic oil to the sweet potatoes. Stir in the sour cream, salt, and cardamom.

Cut the four sides off each apple, discarding the core. Thinly slice each apple chunk. It is important to slice the apple shortly before assembling the smørrebrød so that it doesn’t turn brown.

ASSEMBLE

Lay the bread slices on a work surface. Lightly butter each slice all the way to the edges but not over. Divide the sweet potato mixture among the slices, spreading it in an even layer, again being mindful to spread to the edges of the bread but not over. Arrange the apple slices over top (use about one-quarter of an apple per sandwich) in one direction, with the green skin upward and shingled across. Using two small spoons, drop four or five pea-size pieces of the goat cheese over each sandwich.

Sprinkle each with the walnuts and a pinch of salt and grind of pepper, and garnish with the fresh herbs. Serve immediately.

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Scandinavian From Scratch, Copyright © 2023 by Nichole Accettola. Photographs copyright © 2023 by Anders Schønnemann. Published by Ten Speed Press, an imprint of Random House.