Beet & Dill Roasted Salmon with Potatoes

I was initially drawn to this recipe because of the “jewel-like” color of the salmon in the finished dish. The beet and dill marinade gives it the lovely color as well as a wonderful layer of flavor. My husband was completely sold when I told him that the salmon is roasted over a bed of sliced potatoes. 🙂

I served this dish on Easter weekend, on Easter Eve, along with zucchini baba ghanoush as an appetizer and carrot cake for dessert. I would serve this menu again next year and serve it on Easter Eve- it was nice to have our larger and more labor-intensive meal the night before all of the Easter festivities. We had a spring pasta dish for lunch on Easter after having challah and Easter eggs (and Easter candy!) for breakfast. Perfect.

This lovely recipe was adapted from Martha Stewart Living. I decreased the horseradish and left the skin on the potatoes. I also used a mandoline to slice the potatoes. I served it with steamed beet greens, roasted beets, and roasted asparagus on the side. Healthy and delicious.

 Yield: Serves 6

• 1 small red beet, peeled and coarsely grated (1/2 cup)(wear gloves!)
• 1 cup dill fronds, chopped, plus more for serving
• 3 to 4 T freshly grated horseradish (from a 2-inch piece), or 2 tablespoons prepared horseradish
• grated zest of 1 lemon, plus lemon half for serving
• 1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil, plus more for drizzling
• 1 side salmon, preferably wild, (1 3/4 to 2 pounds; about 1 inch thick at thickest part), skin removed
• coarse salt and freshly ground black pepper
• 2 pounds Yukon Gold potatoes, cut into 1/4-inch slices (preferably with a mandoline)

1. Combine beet, dill, horseradish, zest, and 2 tablespoons oil in a bowl.
2. Line a rimmed baking sheet with parchment. Season both sides of salmon generously with salt and pepper; transfer to sheet. Spread beet mixture on top. Let stand 30 minutes.
3. Meanwhile, preheat oven to 425 degrees. Toss potatoes with remaining 2 tablespoons oil; season generously with salt and pepper.
4. Shingle potatoes in a 9-by-13-inch baking dish, in a single layer. Bake until tender, about 35 minutes; remove from oven.
5. Remove beet mixture from top of salmon with a spoon; spread over center of potatoes.
6. Top beet mixture with fish (you may need to tuck part of tail end under fish to fit in pan), drizzle with oil (I omitted the additional oil), and bake until salmon is medium-rare, 10 to 12 minutes.
7. Squeeze with lemon, garnish with dill fronds, and serve.

Note: Cooking time will vary depending on the thickness of the fish. For salmon that is 1/2 inch thick, start checking at 8 minutes. For 1 1/2 inches, start checking around 14 minutes.

One Year Ago: Swedish Meatloaf with Caramelized Cabbage (Kalpudding)

Two Years Ago: Chicken Paprikash

Three Years Ago: Pork & Ricotta Meatballs in Parmesan Broth

Four Years Ago: Pork Chops with Shiitake Mushrooms & Mustard Vinaigrette

Five Years Ago: Italian Braised Pork

Grilled Glazed Salmon & Bacon Sandwiches

More… Salmon! Easy and delicious. Grilled too. 🙂

This post is really belated. We ate these yummy sandwiches on Memorial Day… Thank goodness it’s still fabulous grilling weather! They were such a great alternative to standard holiday grilling menu items.

I served these sandwiches with German Potato Salad with Dill and Pasta Salad with Peas and Summer Beans on the side. For dessert, we enjoyed a Skillet Chocolate Chip Cookie (a family favorite!), Milk Bar Sugar Cookie-Cake Squares, and ice cream, of course! I almost forgot to mention our New York Soft Pretzel appetizer- yikes! It really was an All-American feast.

This recipe was adapted from a Food and Wine “staff-favorite” recipe, contributed by Marcia Kiesel. I served the sandwiches on brioche rolls but would opt for potato rolls next time. Too much bread for me! 😉

Yield: Serves 4

For the Glaze & Salmon:

• 1/4 cup plus 2 tablespoons Dijon mustard
• 1/4 cup prepared horseradish, drained
• 2 tablespoons honey
• four 6-ounce skinless salmon fillets
• canola oil, for rubbing
• coarse salt and freshly ground black pepper

1. Light a grill.
2. In a small bowl, mix the mustard, horseradish and honey.
3. Rub the salmon with oil and season with salt and pepper.
4. Grill the salmon over moderate heat, skinned side down, until lightly browned, about 3 minutes.
5. Turn and grill for 3 minutes longer, until the salmon is almost cooked through.
6. Turn the salmon again and spread each fillet with 1 tablespoon of the horseradish glaze.
7. Turn and grill until glazed, about 30 seconds.
8. Serve the remaining glaze on the sandwiches, below.

Note: As with any sweet glaze, brush the honey-horseradish-mustard sauce on the salmon in the last minutes of grilling, or else the sugars in it might burn.

For the Sandwiches:

• 4 kaiser, brioche, challah, or potato rolls—split, toasted and buttered
• 4 red lettuce leaves
• 8 thick bacon slices, cooked until crisp, as below
• 1/2 Granny Smith apple, cut into 12 thin slices

1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees, preferably on convection.
2. Place the bacon in a single layer, divided between 2- 9×13-inch pyrex dishes.
3. Bake for 30 or 35 minutes, until crisp. Remove from pans and place on a paper towel-lined, rimmed baking sheet to drain.
4. Spread the remaining horseradish glaze from the Grilled Glazed Salmon on the rolls.
5. Place a lettuce leaf, 2 crispy bacon strips and 3 slices of Granny Smith apple on each buttered roll and set a salmon fillet on top.
6. Close the sandwiches and serve.

One Year Ago:

• Simple Barbecue Sauce

Two Years Ago:

• Moroccan Chicken Brochettes with Garlic Sauce

Three Years Ago:

• Apple Cider Barbecue Sauce

Velvet Chicken with Mustard Sauce

I had to make this dish because I have to try as many “mustard chicken” recipes as possible, but also because this dish was included in the “Top 20 New York Times Recipes of 2014.” The beauty of this recipe is that it minimizes the boneless skinless chicken breast cooking time in order to keep the meat moist. It also utilizes a Chinese technique called velveting to doubly ensure this moistness. This recipe also shines because of the delicious creme fraiche-mustard sauce that the chicken cooks in. Mmmmm….

I did make a mistake though. I doubled the recipe and used very large chicken breasts- which I halved. My mistake was halving them into two smaller- but still thick pieces. I should have cut them horizontally into 2 thinner cutlets! (What was I thinking?!?) I had to increase the cooking time and I may have missed some of the beauty of this dish…. This recipe was adapted from the New York Times, contributed by David Tanis. Learn from my mistake and try this technique!

• 4 large boneless skinless chicken breasts, halved, each piece about 6 ounces
• coarse salt and freshly ground black pepper
• 4 egg whites (about 4 tablespoons)
• 8 tablespoons cornstarch
• 4 tablespoons Dijon mustard
• 4 tablespoons whole-grain Dijon mustard
• 2 teaspoons dried mustard
• 2 tablespoon grated horseradish
• 1 cup crème fraîche
• 1 1/2 cups chicken broth
• 6 tablespoons melted butter or vegetable oil
• 2 teaspoons roughly chopped thyme leaves
• 4 tablespoons snipped chives, for garnish

1. Trim chicken breasts to a uniform size, shape and thickness; they should be about 1/2 inch thick. (**If using larger breasts, slice them into 1/2-inch-thick cutlets.**) Season generously on both sides with salt and pepper.
2. Velvet the chicken: In a medium-size mixing bowl, whisk egg whites until frothy, then whisk in cornstarch until lump-free. Add chicken breasts and coat well with cornstarch mixture, then cover and marinate for 30 minutes. (Chicken may also be marinated several hours ahead and refrigerated.)
3. Meanwhile in a small mixing bowl, stir together Dijon mustard, whole-grain mustard, dried mustard, horseradish and crème fraîche. Set aside.
4. Put butter or oil in a skillet over medium heat. Lay chicken breasts in the pan and sauté very lightly for 30 seconds a side without browning. Remove breasts and blot on paper towels. Discard remaining oil and wipe pan.
5. Return skillet to stove and add mustard and crème fraîche mixture and chicken broth. Whisk together to make a thin sauce and bring to a gentle simmer. Add breasts and simmer for 1 minute, then turn breasts over, cover pan and simmer for 2 minutes. Turn off heat and leave covered for 1 or 2 minutes more, until meat is firm to the touch. (I cooked until the center of the meat reached 165 degrees F.)
6. Transfer breasts to a warm platter. Bring sauce to a boil, add chopped thyme and reduce until slightly thickened.
7. Spoon sauce over breasts, sprinkle with chives, if desired, and serve.

One Year Ago:

• Caramel Chicken

Two Years Ago:

• Pork Chops with Mustard Cream Sauce
• Pork Tenderloin with Mustard-Wine Sauce
• Chicken Teriyaki Plate

Three Years Ago:

• Pork Tenderloin with Apples & Leeks