Salmon-Topped Hash

Hello all! Sorry for my unannounced leave of absence over the latter half of September. Life got exponentially more hectic in the last two weeks, and I didn't spend much time engaging in many of the activities that I normally do. While things are not completely back to normal I am happy to report that my regular jaunts in the kitchen are once again in full swing. 

To mark my re-entry into the culinary world I dusted off a cookbook from my chronically neglected collection, and chose a recipe from Cat Cora's Book "Cooking from the Hip". The fact that I haven't tried making anything from this publication in three years is truly tragic, because her dishes are outstanding. The results of the Salmon-Topped Hash were so good in fact that I kind of want to cook her book cover to cover now, and definitely won't be forgetting about it anytime soon.

I chose this recipe for two reasons 1. It looked fast to make, and 2. I rarely cook fish or potatoes so it would be an exciting change for my taste buds. The recipe was pretty straightforward, but because the potatoes took about three times longer to cook than I ever imagined the whole dish was not particularly fast. Time consuming spuds aside this recipes is a keeper. The potatoes were crispy, the salmon buttery, and when topped with a little sour cream the whole dish was WOW!

So don't make the mistake I did and push this recipe aside; start parboiling your potatoes and get ready for a delicious meal today.

One final note. This recipe calls for parboiling, then cooling, and then grating potatoes. This is tedious so I ended up skipping the grating step, and just thinly slicing the potatoes into 1/4 inch quarters. While this technique worked out very well it also took longer to cook. If you really wanted to speed up this process, I would pick up a bag of frozen hash from the store and just use that instead of fresh potatoes. That way you'll get that perfect hash consistency and save yourself about 45 min of prep time.

Salmon-Topped Hash adapted from 'Cooking from the Hip' by Cat Corra

4 medium yukon gold potatoes (or 2 cups frozen hash)

1 Tbl. extra virgin olive oil

1 Tbl. butter

1 red bell pepper, diced

1 medium red onion, chopped

1.5 tsp. dried tarragon

1 tsp. kosher salt or to taste

1/2 tsp. ground black pepper

12-16 oz. fresh Salmon

1/4 cup sour cream

1-2 sprigs green onion, green parts thinly sliced

If using fresh potatoes: Fill a large pot with cold water and slip the potatoes in making sure they are completely submerged. Bring to a boil then cover and simmer . After 15 min check doneness by piercing potatoes with a knife. If the tip penetrates but meets some resistance the potatoes are ready; if not boil for 5 more minuets and check again. Once done remove tubers from water allow to cool; then grate and set aside.

If using frozen hash: Skip aforementioned first step! Set your oven to 200 degrees and start dicing your red bell pepper and onion. 

Heat butter and oil over medium heat and brown the salmon flipping after about 4 min. Once cooked through, remove fish from pan and place in the oven to keep warm while you prepare the hash. 

In the same pan that you cooked the salmon in toss in the bell pepper; cook for 5 min. stirring frequently. Add in the red onion and cook an additional 4 min. Add in the potatoes, tarragon, salt, and pepper and lower heat to med. Press mixture into the pan and allow to cook undisturbed for 4 min. then flip over and cook other side. Taste and add additional seasoning if necessary.

To serve; spoon the hash onto plates, place salmon on top, and garnish with a dollop of sour cream and a sprinkling of green onions. Bon appetite! 

Unbelievable Rolls

So as if the weather knew that yesterday was labor day; the unofficial end of the summer season; the atmospheric conditions here in my neck of the woods have turned decidedly fall like. I however am still convinced that we in Southern California will enjoy our annual indian summer 80+ degree heat into October despite the nippy temps this 7th day of September. That being said, I thought todays recipe for the lightest most delicious rolls ever would be the ideal companion to dinner on what I have convinced myself to be the SINGLE gray day of fall.

Now If you're not in the mood for rolls or craving carbs like a ravenous beast; this post may appear a bit banal. Don't let their modest appearance fool you though these babies are shear heaven fresh out of the oven smeared with a pat of butter. They are soo good in fact that they could easily steal the spotlight from the steak dinner that you are now considering pairing these with. 

If you have never made bread before never fear it's really not that complicated it just takes a little time and patience. That said, bread recipes are the ones that I tweak the least. The only thing that I ever really change is the amount of flour used adding in more when the dough is too sticky to work with. For this recipe I had no changes to make, and I imagine that you'll enjoy similar success if you follow it to the letter in your kitchen. 

On a final note the location and time in which you allow bread to rise is of utmost importance. If you put your bread in a drafty area; the little yeast will shiver and not work as hard leading to a dense poorly risen loaf. On the other hand allowing yeast to work for too long stretches the gluten strands beyond their elastic ideal and can also result in a leaden loaf. To avoid both of these lethal happenings, first chose a fairly warm draft free location to rise your bread. I typically place mine on top of my refrigerator loosely covered in saran wrap; the subtle heat provided by the refrigerator is yeasts preferred temp for running around and creating gas. Second, set a timer for the length of rising time that your recipe calls for. Once the timer goes off check your bread to see if it has risen appropriately. First it should look about twice as big as the last time you saw it. If the dough it still small let it rise for another 30 min. and check again. Once you have decided your dough has reached its ideal size gently make an indent into its surface. If the mark you made with your finger is still there it has risen enough and you're ready to bake.

Now that you are well versed in the nuances of bread baking get those yeast working! Dreary weather or not these rolls are unbelievable.

Rolls ready to go into the oven

• Unbelievable Rolls from allrecipes.com by Shirelie
• 3/4 cup milk
• 3/4 cup water
• 1/2 cup white sugar
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 2 eggs
• 5 teaspoons active dry yeast
• 5 cups all-purpose flour
• 1/2 cup margarine, melted
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• In a medium saucepan over medium heat, warm milk, water, sugar and salt. Remove from heat, and mix in the eggs and yeast.
• 
  
• Measure flour into a large bowl. Make a well in the flour, and pour milk mixture into it. Do not stir. Cover with a lid, and let stand for 20 to 30 minutes.
• 
  
• Pour melted margarine into flour, and mix well. Add more flour if too sticky. Knead lightly. Cover, and let rise for 20 to 30 minutes.
• 
  
• Shape the dough into rolls, and place on a baking sheet. Let rise again for 20 to 30 minutes.
• 
  
• Bake rolls in a preheated 400 degrees F (205 degrees C) oven for 15 minutes, or until done.