Nordic smørrebrød with asparagus and horseradish cream

In a bowl, combine the crème fraîche, grated horseradish, lemon juice, a pinch of salt, and a pinch of white pepper. Stir everything together until well mixed, then refrigerate until you're ready to assemble the smørrebrød.

Heat a dash of vegetable oil in a frying pan over medium heat. Add the sliced shallots and fry, stirring occasionally, until they turn golden brown and crispy. Use a slotted spoon to transfer the crispy shallots to a plate lined with kitchen paper to drain, then season immediately with a pinch of salt.

Bring a large saucepan of salted water to a rolling boil. Blanch half of the asparagus (four white and four green) in the boiling water until they are tender-crisp, which should take about 2–3 minutes. While they blanch, prepare an ice bath by adding ice to a bowl of cold water. Once cooked, quickly remove the asparagus with a slotted spoon and plunge them into the ice bath to halt the cooking. For the remaining asparagus, thinly slice them lengthwise to serve raw.

Preheat your grill until it's hot. Spread each of the 4 slices of rye bread with a tablespoon of butter, then grill until the bread is golden and crisp.

To serve, arrange the grilled rye bread slices on individual serving plates. Neatly layer both the blanched and raw asparagus over the bread. Drizzle generously with the chilled horseradish cream, then sprinkle the grated västerbottensost cheese over the top. Finish by garnishing with the crispy shallots and a sprinkling of fresh dill.