Smørrebrød is the Danish lunch, and it is taken seriously. A thin slice of dense, dark rye bread is buttered to the edges, which is where the name comes from, butter and bread, and then built up with toppings arranged so carefully that the result is eaten with a knife and fork. Copenhagen's lunch restaurants offer long lists of combinations, from pickled herring to liver pâté, and every Dane has firm views on the correct order: fish first, then meat, then cheese.

We give three of the great classics, enough for a proper spread: egg with shrimp, roast beef with remoulade and crispy onions, and the humble but beloved potato, which proves that a boiled potato on bread can be a thing of beauty. Most of the work is assembly, and almost all of it can be done before the lights go out on the grid. A platter of these, perhaps with a glass of cold snaps, is about as Danish as a Sunday gets.

Danish remoulade

Ingredients

• 1/2 cup (120 g) mayonnaise
• 3 tablespoons cornichons
• 1 tablespoon capers
• 1 teaspoon Dijon mustard
• 1/2 teaspoon mild curry powder
• 1/4 teaspoon ground turmeric
• 1 teaspoon fresh lemon juice

Method

1. Stir the mayonnaise, cornichons, capers, mustard, curry powder, turmeric and lemon juice together in the small bowl. Cover and chill.

Eggs and potatoes

Ingredients

• 4 large eggs
• 12 oz (340 g) small new potatoes
• 1 teaspoon fine salt

Method

1. Put the eggs in a small pan, cover with cold water by 1 inch (2.5 cm) and bring to a boil. Turn the heat to low and simmer for 10 minutes. Cool in a bowl of cold water for 5 minutes, peel and chill.
2. Put the potatoes in the other pan, cover with cold water, add the salt and bring to a boil. Simmer for 12 to 15 minutes. Drain and cool completely, then peel off the skins with a small knife if you like.

Assembling the three sandwiches

Ingredients

• 12 slices Danish rye bread
• 4 tablespoons (60 g) salted butter
• 4 leaves butter lettuce
• 8 oz (225 g) cooked and peeled cold water shrimp
• 3 tablespoons mayonnaise
• 1 lemon
• 4 sprigs fresh dill
• 8 oz (225 g) thinly sliced rare roast beef
• 1/2 cup (25 g) crispy fried onions
• 1 small pickled cucumber
• 1 tablespoon freshly grated horseradish or prepared horseradish
• 4 radishes
• 2 tablespoons fresh chives
• 1 pinch flaky salt and freshly ground black pepper

Method

1. Spread every slice of bread thinly with butter, right to the crusts. Divide into three groups of 4 slices.
2. Lay a lettuce leaf on each of 4 slices. Slice the eggs into rounds and arrange one egg in overlapping slices on each. Pile the shrimp generously on top, add a small spoonful of mayonnaise, a twisted lemon slice and a sprig of dill.
3. On the next 4 slices, fold and ruffle the roast beef so it sits in loose waves rather than flat. Spoon a line of remoulade across the middle, scatter with crispy onions, and add a few slices of pickled cucumber and a little horseradish.
4. Slice the cold potatoes into 1/4 inch (6 mm) rounds and arrange them in overlapping rows on the last 4 slices, covering the bread completely. Dot with a little mayonnaise, top with radish slices and chives, and finish with flaky salt and pepper.

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