Potato Salad with a Lox Twist

Smoked Salmon with Roasted Potato Salad

Smoked Salmon with roasted potato salad

I made this salad for Easter diner at my in-laws on Good Friday. It's a lighter version of the regular mayo based salad, and I roasted the potatoes to hold some firmness. You will notice that on the picture I forgo the pickles and capers. There is a family member that can't stand pickles, and it tasted good.  You can also add radishes, fennel and tarragon to the dish for more flavor.

Ingredients:

3-4 pounds of Baby Potatoes (yellow is best)

1/4 cup of Oil (Canola or grapeseed - high temperature)

Salt and fresh ground pepper

3-4 Green Onions finely chopped

1-2 Carrot(s) finely chopped

2-3 Celery stalks, finely chopped

1-2 Tbsp. of Capers, rinsed and drained

4-5 Gherkins or very small Pickles, finely chopped

1 Package (around 200 g) of Cold Smoked Salmon - aka Lox

Dressing:

3-4 Tbsp. of Crème Fresh 

Juice of half a Lemon (and a pinch of Lemon zest)

1 heaping Tbsp. of Dried Dill or 2-3 Tbsp. of fresh

1 tea of Honey

1 tea of Bold Dijon Mustard

Salt and Pepper

Tools:  Cutting board, knife, large pot, baking pan(s), large bowl, colander, wooden spoons, small bowl, and small spoons and serving bowl.

Serves: 4-6 people as a side, 2-3 as a main meal

Time: 2 - 4 hours, potatoes can be boiled instead of roasting - but they take a long time to cool off. And best to have this salad marinate too.  Even best the day before.

Roasting the potatoes:

Take the washed potatoes and cut them in halves or quarters.  Try to make the pieces almost the same time so they can cook easily.

Add them to a pot of boiling hot and salted water and cook for 5 - 8 minutes.  Don't cook them all the way through, just enough to soften, they will cook longer in the oven.  Preheat the oven to 425.

Once the boiling time is up, strain the potatoes and place into a large bowl. Add the oil, salt and pepper and coat the potatoes. Place the potatoes on to a bake sheet. Make sure they are not on top of each other, but rather have their own part of the bake pan.

Bake for 40 - 45 minutes.  Check on them at around 25 minute part to stir them.  They should be golden and crispy.  If you want them crunchier, leave them in longer.

Once roasted, remove from oven and let cool completely.

You can boil the potatoes if you want to save time, we just like to roast them once in a while so the potatoes have a crispier outside and doesn't turn mushy in the salad.  Your choice.

Making of the dressing

I prefer making the dressing as the potatoes cool, just to get the flavours a chance to settle.

Take all the ingredients listed under the dressing category and mix in a bowl.  Take a taste, if you find it too sour, add more honey.  The dressing will be a little on the runnier side than the mayo dressings people normally use for potato salads.

Putting it all together

Once the potatoes are cold, the dressing is made and the veggies are cut - add them all to the bowl and mix.  Don't put all the dressing in at once, just little by little to see if you need the whole amount or if you prefer a lighter dressed salad.  Add the smoked salmon and mix gently.

Refrigerate until serving.

Enjoy.

Even though I live in Alberta and the sea is far away, I still try to buy Canadian products - luckily there is a local supplier/food processor in Edmonton. The Smoked Salmon I used is Sgambaros.  I really like this smoked Salmon, and they make other seafood products here in Edmonton.  

I bought my package at Bon Ton Bakery, but you can also pick this item at Italian Centre and at Mother's Market.

Info from Sgambaros website:
In 2013 Sgambaro's won a Food Award for their Atlantic Cold Smoked Salmon. Presented by the Alberta Food Processors Association, Sgambaro's won in the category of "Best Value Added Specialty Meat, Poultry or Seafood Product".

Give them a try.  

Ultimate Southern Comfort Food: Shrimp and Grits

Shrimp and Grits

This is a comfort food dish.  

Shrimp is one of my favorite foods, its quick to cook and can carry spice very well. Grits, known here in Canada sometimes as hominy - is rich and creamy.  A stick to your ribs dish. You can adjust the spice to as spicy or mild as you wish. The cream and cheese, as always - adds decadence.

If you don't have or can't find grits - use another vessel. Mashed potatoes, pasta, rice or polenta (the Italian version of grits). The shrimp sauce it great on anything - including bread.

Serves four
Takes about 30 - 40 minutes to make.
Pretty easy dish dish to make

Shrimp Sauce Ingredients:
1 pound of raw Shrimp, fresh or frozen (don't use already cooked)*
1/2 cup of Chicken or Vegetable broth
1-2 Tbs of a Cajun spice * (see below if you don't have a favorite)
1 tea of Smoked paprika
1 tbs of Butter
2 tea of Oil
1/2 Red or Green Pepper, chopped into bite sized pieces
1/2 Onion, chopped into bite sized pieces
2 Garlic gloves, minced
10 button Mushrooms, cut into slices or quarters
1 cup Heavy Cream (whipping)
Salt and Fresh Ground Pepper
Chopped parsley (optional)

Grits Ingredients:
1 cup Grits, white corn
3 cups of Water or Broth
1/2 tsp Salt
1/2 - 3/4 cup Shredded Cheeses (cheddar, mozzarella or you favorite cheese)
1 tea Butter
Pinch of fresh Black Pepper
2-3 tbs Milk

Tools:  Sauce pan, covered pot, cut board, knife, wooden spoons, measure cups/spoons, cheese grater.

Making the Grits:
Bring the water/broth and salt to a boil. Add the grits, stir and reduce heat to medium low. Cook slowly for about 5 minutes, stirring occasionally.  

Remove from heat, add the cheese, butter, pepper and milk - stir. Cover and let stand for a couple minutes before serving.

Tips:
Adding cheese to any hot dish can turn lumpy and stringy.  When you stir in the cheese, do so in a figure eight motion.  I've seen this trick once and it really works.

Highly recommend using a long handled wooden spoon.  Careful! Grits can bubble and splatter.  You don't want to get burned.

This is the brand I used. Found this by the baking flour section of the store.

Stirring figure 8's in the pot

Making the shrimp sauce:

In a hot pan, add the butter and oil. (Adding oil to butter, prevents the butter from burning)
Add the chopped vegetables and stir. Cook for about 5 minutes on medium heat until they are soft. 

Add the some or all the broth, reducing it to further cook the veggies. Add the spices, salt, pepper and paprika. Cook for about 10 minutes.

Stir in the cream. Take a taste test for seasoning. 

Add the (thawed or fresh) raw shrimp to the thickened sauce and stir.  The shrimp takes no time to cook - about 5 minutes. Once they curl and turned pink - they're done.  

Making the sauce

Scoop up some grits onto a plate or bowl. Add a heaping spoonful of the shrimp sauce and top with parsley if you wish - or more cheese.

Shrimp, spice and creamy corn grits - this is really good and sticks to your ribs.

Enjoy!

Tips:
I recommend using raw shrimp. Already cooked or frozen cooked shrimp - when they are reheated, can turn mushy and grainy.  Shrimp is probably the fastest cooking protein you can get.  Don't use the already cooked shrimp in this dish. Already cooked shrimp is good to eat cold.

Another great thing about shrimp, it takes no time to defrost. Just open the package and add the shrimp to COLD water. In about 5-10 minutes, they are defrosted. Drain and they are ready to use. Don't speed up the defrost by using warm or hot water - you'll end up cooking the shrimp.

If you do not have a spice mix you can use any or a mix of all pinches of: cayenne pepper, thyme, chili powders and cumin.

You're the captain of your meal. If you don't like a spice, don't add it. You don't like too much heat? Put less than what I call for and taste as you cook.  It's always easier to add more spice than to remove it.  You added to much?  Add more cream.  That's what cools off the spice.

You like it hot?  Add more spice or even add your favorite hot sauce.  Go for it!

I used The Silk Road Spice Merchant's Bayou Country Creole Seasoning.  Have you gone to this store yet?  It's amazing!  So many spices!  It's my favorite place on Whyte Avenue, Edmonton.

The spice mix I used.

This weekend...I'll be making PIE!

See you again.