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🥘 Skillet & One-Pan · Vegetarian · Norway

Nordic smørrebrød with asparagus and horseradish cream

Name: Nordic smørrebrød with asparagus and horseradish cream
Prep time: 14 min
Cook time: 25 min
Total time: 39 min
Yield: 4 servings
Cuisine: Norway
Ingredients: 150ml Creme Fraiche; 2 tblsp Horseradish; 1 teaspoon Lemon Juice; Pinch Salt; Pinch Pepper; Dash Vegetable Oil; 2 Shallots; Pinch Salt; 8 White Asparagus; 8 Asparagus; 4 slices Rye Bread; 1 tblsp Butter; 100g västerbottensost cheese; Sprinking Dill; Pinch Salt; Pinch Black Pepper

By The Spice & Simmer Kitchen · Published May 3, 2026

A one-pot Vegetarian recipe with Norway flavors, built for busy weeknights when you want real food without a sink full of dishes. Comes together in roughly 62 minutes, serves about 4, and uses ingredients you can find at any normal grocery store. The technique is simple: build a base in your pot, layer in the main ingredients, simmer until everything has had time to talk to each other, and serve straight from the pan. If you're cooking for picky eaters, this one tends to land — the flavors are recognizable, the texture is comforting, and there's nothing weird hiding in the ingredient list. Perfect for the kind of evening where you want dinner on the table by 7pm and the kitchen empty by 7:30.

Ingredients

Makes 4 servings · 39 min total

150ml Creme Fraiche
2 tblsp Horseradish
1 teaspoon Lemon Juice
Pinch Salt
Pinch Pepper
Dash Vegetable Oil
2 Shallots
Pinch Salt
8 White Asparagus
8 Asparagus
4 slices Rye Bread
1 tblsp Butter
100g Västerbottensost Cheese
Sprinking Dill
Pinch Salt
Pinch Black Pepper

Step-by-step instructions

To make the horseradish cream, mix the crème fraîche, grated horseradish, lemon juice, salt and white pepper in a bowl. Refrigerate until serving.
To make the crispy shallots, heat some vegetable oil in a frying pan over a medium heat. Add the sliced shallots and fry until golden brown and crispy.
Remove with a slotted spoon and drain on a plate lined with kitchen paper. Season with a pinch of salt.
To make the open sandwich, bring a large saucepan of salted water to the boil, then blanch half of the asparagus (four white and four green) until tender-crisp, about 2–3 minutes.
Add ice to a bowl of cold water. Use a slotted spoon to remove the asparagus from the boiling water and immediately transfer to the iced water to stop cooking. Thinly slice the remaining asparagus lengthwise to serve raw.
Pre-heat the grill until hot. Spread the rye bread with butter and grill until golden and crisp.
To serve, place the grilled bread slices on serving plates. Arrange both the blanched and raw asparagus on the bread. Drizzle with horseradish cream, then sprinkle grated cheese over the top. Garnish with the crispy shallots and some fresh dill to finish.

Why this works on a weeknight

Nordic smørrebrød with asparagus and horseradish cream lands at about 39 minutes total — a little longer than our 30-minute target, but most of that time is hands-off simmering, which is why it earned a spot in our Skillet & One-Pan collection. The technique is forgiving, the ingredient list is grocery-store standard, and the active cooking time is short enough that you can answer a text message in the middle without ruining dinner.

Cleanup notes

This is a single-pan recipe, so the cleanup is exactly one pan, one cutting board, and one knife. While the dish rests, fill the pan with hot soapy water — by the time you are done eating, the residue lifts off with a single pass of a sponge. Skip the steel wool on cast iron; a stiff brush and warm water are all you need to keep the seasoning intact.

Make-ahead and leftovers

Leftovers keep covered in the fridge for up to three days. Reheat in a dry pan over medium-low with a splash of water or stock to loosen the sauce. Nordic smørrebrød with asparagus and horseradish cream actually improves overnight as the flavors keep talking to each other, so doubling the recipe and packing tomorrow's lunch is a high-leverage weeknight move.

Filed under 🥘 Skillet & One-Pan Vegetarian Norway