Sauce for the Beef, Sauce for the Ham

I mention horseradish sauce often in the preparation of meat sandwiches and roasts but realize that you may not be able to find it in the prepared meat section of your grocery. Even if you can, the fresh version is so much better that it is worth making from scratch. It's easy and most produce sections now have fresh horseradish root.

1 cup sour cream
3 tablespoons finely grated peeled fresh horseradish (1 oz; use small teardrop-shaped holes of a box grater)
1/8 teaspoon black pepper
1 tsp lemon zest
1 tsp lemon juice
1 tsp white vermouth

Every piece of horseradish is going to have a different amount of the hot/savory stuff that makes it interesting, so you are going to have to taste as you go and add more or less of it depending on the level of hot you want. Mix all of the ingredients, taste and adjust and then let stand at room temp for at least an hour for the flavors to develop. You can make this a couple of days ahead and refrigerate, covered, which I recommend. You will get the most accurate taste of the flavors that way.

This is also delicious with ham or pork chops. As a sandwich spread, it is beyond compare.