Kanapki, from the French word canapé, are a staple in Poland, very similar to Scandinavian open sandwiches and simple to make. The Poles eat kanapki for breakfast, or sometimes for their second breakfast, drugie s´niadanie. Kanapki can also form part of a brunch or buffet table, or may be eaten as a snack later in the day with a little glass of something in hand. You can buy most of the toppings from the deli counter. Leftover cold cuts, such as beef, work well, too. You can either make these sandwiches up for your guests, or cut some bread and serve everything on the table so that your guests can help themselves.
Ingredients
- 1 loaf of bread, preferably rye or sourdough, sliced butter, softened
- 9 oz (250 g) cheese, such as Edam, sliced
- 5½ oz (150 g) twaróg, curd cheese or cream cheese
- 5½ oz (150 g) smoked salmon, sliced
- 5½ oz (150 g) pasztet or pâté, preferably liver pâté or chicken liver pâté
- 9 oz (250 g) Polish roasted or cured ham or pork loin, such as wiejska or sopocka, sliced
- 9 oz (250 g) cured or smoked Polish sausage, sliced
- sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
Suggested garnishes
- 3 hard-boiled eggs, sliced
- 1 bunch of radishes, finely sliced
- 4 tomatoes, finely sliced
- ½ fresh cucumber or 4 pickled cucumbers, finely sliced
- 2 tbsp fresh dill, marjoram or cress, leaves picked
How to Make It
- Butter each slice of bread and lay the slices in a single layer on a large plate or board. I usually top a quarter of the bread with cheese slices, a quarter with soft cheese and smoked salmon, and the remaining half with a selection of deli meats and pâté.
- Season with salt and pepper and then top with a selection of the garnishes. It looks pretty if each sandwich has a slice of egg, radish, tomato and cucumber on top. Once assembled, scatter the green herbs over the sandwiches and serve.
