Serves 4

Danish smorrebrod (from the word butter, “smor,’’ and bread, “brod,’’ and pronounced smuhr-broht) is an open-faced sandwich that invites all kinds of improvisation. You can’t beat them for appetizers or party fare. They are also excellent for lunch with a bowl of soup. You could try ham and Dijon mustard, or roast beef and horseradish, or any combination that appeals to you — just be sure to add something pickled like beets, onions, capers, or cucumbers. Look for dense whole-meal rye bread, sometimes called “fitness bread.’’ The brick-shaped loaf comes sliced and is available at specialty markets and Whole Foods.

6 tablespoons unsalted butter, at room temperature

2 tablespoons prepared white horseradish, or more to taste

1 teaspoon finely grated lemon rind

Salt and pepper, to taste

4 slices dense rye bread

6 ounces sliced smoked salmon

Juice of ½ lemon

½ English cucumber, sliced thin

1 (14 ounce) jar or can pickled beets, drained

8 radishes, sliced thin

3 to 4 sprigs of dill, snipped with scissors

1. In a small bowl, mash together the butter, horseradish, lemon rind, salt, and pepper.

2. On a cutting board, spread out the slices of bread and slather each with ¼ of the butter mixture. Divide the salmon among the 4 slices of bread, and sprinkle with lemon juice. Top with the cucumber slices, beets, radishes, and dill. Slice each piece of bread into 4 to 8 pieces to serve as an appetizer. Sally Pasley Vargas

Sally Pasley Vargas can be reached at sally.p.vargas@gmail.com.