Oven-Roasted Salmon and Braised Red Potatoes
Date Completed: 1/17/2021
Recipes #5 and #6 came from the America’s Test Kitchen Twentieth Anniversary TV Show Cookbook. This effort may have skewed a little more towards making this project work with something I would have cooked anyway. However, there were a few twists that made it better than your average Sunday night salmon.
The real star of this show came from the list of “accompaniments” to the salmon recipe: clementine-ginger relish. I started by mixing this up. Toss together chopped clementine and shallot with grated ginger and some lemon juice. Simple!
Next I worked on the braised red potatoes. I’ve done a ton of red potato variations - ranging from quick & simple to complex & time-consuming. This recipe sat right in the middle of that scale. Arrange the halved potatoes cut side down in a 12-inch skillet. Add water, butter, garlic cloves, and thyme sprigs.
Too pretty not to snap a process photo!
That simmers for 15 minutes covered and another 15 minutes uncovered. The garlic cloves are removed halfway through and mashed into a paste with some lemon juice. Finish by coating the potatoes with that garlic-lemon paste and tossing with some chives or scallions.
Now for the salmon. If you’ve ever cooked from an ATK cookbook, you know they typically take a technique you’re familiar with and throw in a twist. In this case, you preheat the oven to 500 degrees with your baking sheet already in there on the very bottom rack. Once the oven is ready, turn the heat down and place your salmon filets (rubbed with olive oil, salt, pepper) on the hot sheet. Bake for 4-6 minutes.
Aside from the salmon actually needing to bake for closer to 10 minutes, I didn’t mind this cooking method. I also wasn’t wowed by it. In the end, I still prefer the oven-broiling method over this. I’m not convinced this particular ATK twist added anything to the salmon.
Taste Report:
The clementine-ginger relish on the other hand added a bright pop of fresh flavor to the salmon. I felt quite proud of myself because it tasted like something you might get at a restaurant!
And the braised red potatoes with lemon & scallions? Wow! That cooking method turned out to be 100% worth it. Creamy on the inside, crispy on the outside, with delicious flavor as well!
I have to say that I would absolutely make both of these recipes again and swap out only the salmon-cooking method. With the delightful relish accompaniment to add a little something special, this menu would even be worthy of a dinner party!
Mess Report:
The potatoes were a one-pan affair and the salmon took only one baking sheet. Add a cutting board plus a few other utensils to that list and it’s still not bad! I may be blinded by the excellent results, but I really didn’t think this made much of a mess.
