Smoked Salmon & Dill

Smoked salmon pinwheels with dill, horseradish cream cheese, and a peppery hit of watercress wrapped in dark bread. The horseradish cuts the richness of the cream cheese, the watercress brings green pepper notes, and the dill seed pulls the whole thing toward Scandinavian territory.

The trick with this one lives in the rolling. Bread slices get flattened between sheets of wax paper with a rolling pin so they bend without cracking. Spread the cheese mixture all the way to the edges, lay the smoked salmon flat, then roll tight and chill the logs in plastic wrap. Cold rolls slice clean. Warm ones tear.

Thin the cream cheese gradually with cream until it’s spreadable but not runny. Too soft and it oozes out the ends, too stiff and it rips the bread.

Chef Tips

• Use day-old dark rye or pumpernickel. Fresh bread shreds when you roll it; slightly dry slices flex better.
• Chill the rolls at least an hour before slicing. Two hours is better. A serrated knife and a sawing motion gives clean spirals.
• Trim the ends off each log before slicing. Those scraggly ends are the cook’s snack.

Variations

• Swap watercress for arugula or thin slices of cucumber for crunch.
• Stir capers and lemon zest into the cream cheese for a brighter, brinier filling.
• Use pumpernickel for a deeper, malty backdrop against the salmon.