Chlebíčky

Ingredients

Base

• 1veka, a long white Czech loaf, or a baguette
• butter, softened

Potato salad

• 600 gwaxy potatoes, boiled and diced
• 2carrots, boiled and diced
• 150 gpeas
• 3pickled gherkins, diced
• 1onion, finely chopped
• 200 gmayonnaise
• 1 tbspmustard
• 3hard-boiled eggs, chopped
• salt and white pepper

Toppings

• sliced ham or Prague ham
• salami
• hard-boiled egg, sliced
• pickled gherkin, fanned
• sliced cheese
• roast pork
• smoked salmon
• a sardine or a herring fillet

To finish

• sliced red pepper
• a sprig of parsley
• a slice of lemon
• a little aspic, optional

To serve

• at a party, a name day, or from a delicatessen counter

Directions

1. Cut the slices about a centimetre thick, on a slight diagonal. Butter every slice right to the edges before anything else goes on. Without it the chlebíček goes soggy within an hour, which matters when they are made ahead for a party.
2. Use butter at room temperature so it spreads without tearing the bread. Use waxy potatoes, boiled in their skins and then peeled and diced. Cooking them in their skins keeps water out, and waxy potatoes hold their shape where floury ones collapse into mash.
3. Let them cool completely before dressing them. Dice everything small and evenly, about half a centimetre. Fold the mayonnaise and mustard through gently.
4. Fold rather than stir, since beating breaks the potato down into paste. Season it firmly with salt and white pepper. Let the potato salad sit for a few hours, or overnight, before using it. Butter the bread, spread the potato salad thickly, then arrange the toppings.
5. Spread the salad right to the edges of the slice, since bare bread at the edge looks unfinished. Roll or fold slices of ham rather than laying them flat, which gives height.
6. Lay the egg slices overlapping. A thin layer of set aspic brushed over keeps everything glossy and stops it drying.
7. Cover them loosely with cling film and refrigerate them. Do not make them the day before, since the bread softens however well you butter it. Serve them on a large platter, arranged in rows.

Technique

• Jan Paukert’s Prague delicatessen popularised them from 1916.
• Butter every slice to the edges, which seals the bread against the salad.
• They are arranged neatly rather than piled, and the look is part of the point.

Substitutions

• A baguette in place of veka, though it is crustier.
• Shop-bought potato salad, which is what many people use.

Variations

• With salami and cheese rather than ham.
• With herring or smoked salmon and lemon.
• With a layer of aspic brushed over, as in delicatessens.

History

Open-faced sandwiches sold in delicatessens; Jan Paukert’s Prague shop popularised them from 1916 and they remain party food.

Frequently asked questions

What is Chlebíčky?

Chlebíčky is a snack from Czechia: open party sandwiches piled with potato salad, ham, egg. Open-faced sandwiches sold in delicatessens; Jan Paukert’s Prague shop popularised them from 1916 and they remain party food.

How long does Chlebíčky take to make?

Chlebíčky takes 45 min of preparation and 20 min of cooking. The recipe makes 12 open sandwiches. It is rated easy to make.

What can I substitute in Chlebíčky?

Yes, within limits. A baguette in place of veka, though it is crustier. Shop-bought potato salad, which is what many people use.

What is the most important thing to get right in Chlebíčky?

Fold rather than stir, since beating breaks the potato down into paste. Season it firmly with salt and white pepper. Let the potato salad sit for a few hours, or overnight, before using it. Butter the bread, spread the potato salad thickly, then arrange the toppings.