obložené chlebícky

Obložené Chlebícky are artful open-faced sandwiches. As our food tour guides Zuzi and Karolina said: the Czech version of fast food. Sorry I can't help with the pronunciation. Below are a caseful of these beauties at a deli in Prague. It's a fuzzy shot, but you get a hint of the variety and creativity available in these little sandwiches.

Really just about anything goes. From meats to cheeses, pickles, lettuce, parsley, hard boiled eggs . . . Your slice of bread is a blank canvas. But first you start with egg or potato salad, rather than mayo for your bread. Brilliant right?! The potato salad is a little different. Here is what I went with after reading some other recipes and doing the metric conversions.

POTATO SALAD for Obložené Chlebícky
this makes enough for at least 15 sandwiches with some leftover for snacking

1 pound of potatoes boiled whole with skin on
1 large carrot
2 boiled eggs
diced onion if you dare (no thank you)
1 pickle or a handful of cornichons
1/2 cup mayo (I used light, but regular would work)
1 Tablespoon of Canola oil
1/4 cup plain yogurt (I used greek yogurt)
1-2 Tablespoons pickle juice or vinegar
Salt and Pepper to taste
*I saw recipes that included Celery Root (not celery stalks), but right now the cheapest I could find were pricey so I opted out. Maybe next time.

• Peel the potatoes They are super easy to peel after they've been boiled and they don't fall apart as easily when you cut them. 
• Dice the potatoes, carrot, eggs and pickles and place in a bowl The smaller the better, like a centimeter square. Mine was still on the chunky side. Next time I will try to go smaller. The chlebícky I ate in Prague had a potato salad with a shredded texture. 
• Mix the remaining ingredients in a smaller bowl mayo through the salt and pepper.
• Fold the mayo mixture into your diced veggies
• Refrigerate overnight  It tastes way better the next day.

ASSEMBLE Obložené Chlebícky

• Slice french bread on an angle It give you more surface area and it's just prettier. Try not to get the super squishy american grocery store kind. I did get mine at the grocery store, but it was a bit firmer. It was called an artisan french bread.
• Spread a generous spoonful of potato salad on the bread
• Top with your choice of condiments  I chose turkey, tomatoes, cornichons and lettuce

Enjoying your little piece of Prague makes an everyday sandwich a little more special.