One of the best parts of living in Copenhagen for half a year was definitely the food.
I stayed with a Danish host family for those few months, and my host mom was a professional chef. She shared traditional dishes with me almost every evening, from fiskefilet with remoulade to frikkadeller. I was spoiled!
Lunch In Denmark
Mealtimes are family time in Denmark.
Each day around noon, families sit down together with a loaf of Danish rye bread called rugbrød. The bread should be sliced in half. This way you can have a few different kinds of sandwiches with your meal if you like.
Spoon a generous amount of beet salad onto the bread and top with slices of hard-boiled eggs. (No Danish home is complete without an egg slicer.)
The result is the traditional open-faced sandwich, smørrebrød.
Like many traditions, Danish pastimes are filled with rituals -- smørrebrød is meant to be enjoyed with a fork and knife.
Smørrebrød With Russisk Salat On Rugbrød
Ingredients
- 4-5 small red beets
- 4-5 small yellow beets
- 5 medium carrots
- 1/2 cup mayonnaise
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 1 teaspoon sea salt
Cooking Directions
- Preheat oven to 400 degrees F.
- Chop the green tops off of the root vegetables, leaving a bit of green at the top. Place on a large cookie sheet and drizzle with olive oil and sea salt.
- Roast beets and carrots until tender, about 45 minutes. The carrots may require less time for roasting, and can be removed earlier if desired. (However, if you leave them in the caramelized flavor is delicious.) The beets are done when the thickest one is easily pierced with a sharp knife.
- Remove vegetables from oven, peel beets, and slice thinly.
- Combine sliced beets and carrots with mayonnaise, and refrigerate until chilled.
- Served a spoonful of the salad on top of one slice of rye bread. Top with a slice of hard-boiled egg. Parsley serves as a colorful garnish.
