Ingredients:

  • 8 oz cream cheese, softened
  • 3 tbsp fresh dill, finely chopped
  • 1 tsp lemon juice
  • 1/2 tsp lemon zest
  • 1/4 tsp garlic powder
  • 1/4 tsp salt
  • 1/8 tsp black pepper
  • 1 medium English cucumber
  • 8 slices white or whole wheat bread
  • 1 tsp kosher salt
  • 2 tbsp unsalted butter, softened

Instructions:

  1. Use a mandoline to cut the cucumber into rounds exactly 1/8 inch (3mm) thick.
  2. Toss the cucumber slices with 1 tsp of kosher salt in a colander and let sit for 10 minutes to sweat.
  3. Pat each cucumber slice thoroughly with a paper towel to remove excess water.
  4. In a medium bowl, whip the softened cream cheese until smooth.
  5. Stir in the chopped dill, lemon juice, zest, garlic powder, salt, and pepper.
  6. Optional: Spread a thin layer of softened butter on the bread to create a moisture barrier.
  7. Apply a generous, even layer of the cream cheese dill spread to 4 slices of bread.
  8. Arrange the dried cucumber slices in an overlapping shingle pattern on the spread.
  9. Top with the remaining 4 slices of bread and remove the crusts to finish.