How to render plain HTML links in Asp.Net MVC loop?

I would like to render a list of HTML links in ASP.NET MVC. Note that the links are absolute and external to the website being designed. The following code works:

<% foreach (var item in Model) { %>

    <tr>
        <td>
            <%= Html.Encode(item.Id) %>
        </td>
        <td>
            <%= String.Format("<a href=\"{0}\">link</a>", item.Url) %>
        </td>
    </tr>

<% } %>

But I am wondering if it's really the right approach. Am I missing some obvious MVC control here?