Salmon, Au Gratin Potatoes, & Spinach

This past Saturday night was an evening of improv all around. First, the LeCroys came over for improvised baked salmon. Ross, pictured above (isn't he ridiculously photogenic?!), improvised some cocktails. Then, we headed over to Improv Olympics, where our friend Robert was a contestant in a fierce head-to-head battle of wits.

I'll talk fish first, then give you the rundown on the show.

BAKED SALMON, AU GRATIN POTATOES, & SAUTEED SPINACH

Ingredients

1 salmon filet per person
salt and pepper
1-2 lemons
salt and pepper
fish or all-purpose seasoning

sauce:

1 c. white wine
1/2 pt. grape tomatoes, halved
1/2 red bell pepper, seeded and diced
salt, pepper, red pepper flakes, and all-purpose seasoning
1 tsp. dijon mustard
2 T. half and half
1 tsp. sugar
juice of 1/2 a lemon

20-ish baby yukon gold potatoes (or other small potatoes)
1 1/2 c. grated sharp cheddar cheese
3 c. 1% milk
3 T. flour
4 T. butter, divided
1/2 c. breadcrumbs
salt and pepper

1 large bag spinach leaves
1 T. olive oil
salt and pepper

STEP ONE:

Boil the potatoes in salted water for about 8-10 minutes. Do not cook them completely (they should still be raw in the center). Drain. Slice very thinly. Preheat the oven to 375.




STEP TWO:

Start the sauce. In a medium sauce pot, combine wine, tomatoes, and red pepper and cook over medium heat until vegetables start to break down. Add the mustard, lemon juice, sugar, and seasonings, and continue to cook. Stir in the half and half just before removing from heat to serve.






STEP THREE:

For the gratin sauce, make a roux with 3 T. of the butter and the flour. Whisk in the milk and bring to a boil, whisking constantly until thickened. Stir in the shredded cheese and whisk until melted and smooth. Season with salt and pepper. Be generous with the salt, as this will serve as the seasoning for all the potatoes as well.

STEP FOUR:

In a shallow baking dish, spread the potato slices. Pour the cheese sauce over them, making sure they're completely covered. In a nonstick pan, melt the remaining 1 T. butter and cook the breadcrumbs until they're all coated in butter. Spread the breadcrumbs evenly over the top of the au gratin potatoes. Bake at 375 for 35-45 minutes, until edges are bubbly and breadcrumbs are beginning to brown.




STEP FIVE:

Rinse the salmon filets and pat dry. Cover a baking sheet with aluminum foil and spray it lightly with nonstick spray. Arrange the filets on the sheet and season with salt, pepper, and fish seasoning. Bake at 375 for 10-15 minutes (depending on the size of the filets), or until fish flakes easily with a fork (this is for completely cooked salmon).





STEP SIX:

Heat olive oil in a large pan. Add the spinach and salt and pepper and cover. Cook for 5-7 minutes, until spinach is wilted, stirring occasionally. Serve with the fish, sauce, and potatoes au gratin.




JUDGES VERDICTS:

I didn't do a very good job of recording what everyone said, but here is a direct quote from Taylor:

"Very well put together meal. I thought the salmon was perfectly cooked and went with the sauce very well. It also wasn't too watery like you might expect from a fish-with-sauce dish. For me though the potatoes stole the show. Nice creamy texture with a crunchy crust. The whole thing just oozed with winter comfort. I would definitely eat here again."

Nice! And Sarah's plate said more about how much she like the dish than any verbal comments ever could've - she ate more than I have ever seen her eat in one sitting - she actually ate almost all of the salmon! Any of you who have had the pleasure of eating with Sarah know that she is picks adorably, like a graceful little bird (cut to me licking cream sauce directly out of the pan). Ross, as we have come to expect, would have preferred his salmon to be breaded and fried, his sauce to be creamier, and for there to be an element of bacon on the plate.



MY VOTE ON MY DISH:

7 stars. I think the sauce was a bit on the acidic side, and I would've liked my own piece of fish to be a little firmer (not sure what was going on with my piece). I did really enjoy the au gratin potatoes. I didn't even feel too bad eating them, since even a small portion was so creamy and satisfying that I wasn't tempted to gorge myself (OK, I was, but that's when you put the leftovers immediately into the fridge and don't walk through the kitchen until breakfast). The spinach was average - nothing creative about it, really.

And about the show (ALERT ALERT: shameless plug for friend's comedy show in 3...2...1...) - it was AWESOME! No offense to the great improv team that went up against Robert's group, but his was clearly funnier.

At Improv Olympics (former home to Amy Poehler, Rachel Dratch, and a whole slew of other SNL stars), each team gets 20 minutes to improv - and this is improv comedy in its purest form - no props, no suggestions from the audience, just pure made-up-on-the-spot hilarity. At the end, the audience votes for their favorite group, and that group advances onto the next round of the tournament. Robert's group won! The ultimate winners get $800, so Robert, we're all rooting for you.

At a very recession-friendly $5 a ticket, you really can't find a better deal on a funny Saturday night in the city.

Thanks to Robert, our hilarious friend, and to my dear LeCroys for coming over. Thanks for reading!

Risotto (?)

Most people think about their meat first when planning a meal. I, however, almost always start "noodling" (as they say in ad-agency lingo) on a side dish first.

This particular meal was inspired by - as you can probably guess from the title - Risotto. This was my second attempt at risotto, the first resulting in The Risotto Calamity of 2006. But since then, I've TiVo'd many a Barefoot Contessa, so I felt confident that I could make it without a hitch. I also had an outstanding lobster risotto at Viand, one of those downtown places that caters to the 40-plus business traveler crowd, but has an unexpectedly legit menu.


Without spoiling the ending of this post, let's just say "without a hitch" could be an overstatement.

Read on to get all the details of my Baked Salmon with Lemon-Leek Risotto and Arugula.

INGREDIENTS

SALMON:
3 Salmon filets
1 T. olive oil
salt and pepper

RISOTTO
2 c. Arborio rice (NOTE: this made an absurdly huge amount of risotto - maybe just use 1 cup if you attempt this)
1/3 stick butter
1 T. olive oil
1 medium leek
juice of 2 lemons
zest of two lemons
salt and pepper
3/4 c. parmesan cheese, grated

ARUGULA
4 c. fresh arugula leaves
2 T. olive oil for the dressing
1 tsp. mustard
salt and pepper
1 T. sugar
2 T. white wine vinegar
squeeze of lemon juice

SAUCE
2 T. butter
1 T. flour
1/4 c. white wine
1/4 c. half and half
juice of one lemon
3 T. chopped fresh parsley
freshly grated parmesan (a little bit)
salt and pepper


STEP ONE:

In saucepan, heat 4 c. chicken broth (don't let it boil). Slice the leeks, then chop them into small pieces. Place them in a bowl of water to make sure they're extra clean. In a large Dutch oven or cooking pot, melt 1/3 sick butter and 2 T. olive oil (these measurements, again, are for 2 c. risotto), and saute the leeks (taken out of the water and shaken dry) until they soften and begin to turn translucent. Season them with a little salt and pepper. Add the Arborio rice, stirring it around in the butter, oil, and leeks until the grains are coated and begin to turn slightly translucent.








STEP TWO:

Add chicken broth one ladleful at a time, stirring the rice constantly over medium heat. When most of the liquid has been absorbed, add another ladleful. Continue to do this until the rice has become creamy, but the grains are still al dente. (More on this later.)





STEP THREE:

Zest two lemons, and squeeze the juice into a bowl. Stir this into the risotto a few minutes before it's done cooking.




STEP FOUR:

Preheat the oven to 375. In a shallow baking dish, place the raw salmon, and season with salt, pepper, and about 1 T. olive oil, rubbing the olive oil evenly over the fish. Bake for about 15 minutes, until fish flakes with a fork.



STEP FIVE:

Wash the arugula and spin or pat it dry. Place it in a large bowl. In a small mixing bowl, combine the juice of two lemons, 1 T. olive oil, salt, pepper, and 1 tsp. mustard. Whisk until combined. Just before serving, pour over arugula and toss to coat evenly.




STEP SIX:

To make the sauce, melt 1 T. butter in a large saucepan. Add 1/4 c. white wine, juice of one lemon, and 1/4 c. half and half. Cook until reduced by about half, and stir in 3-4 T. chopped fresh parsley. Add 1-2 T. grated parmesan, and stir to combine.





STEP SEVEN:

Place about 1/2 c. risotto on the plate and top with a piece of salmon. Spoon a few tablespoons of the sauce on top, then top with the arugula.



THE JUDGES' VERDICTS

ROSS: The salmon was really well-cooked. The other flavors complemented the salmon, but didn't over power it. And the salmon was also really warm - sometimes it seems like fish comes out not that hot. And it wasn't overcooked - it was still really tender.

TAYLOR: I thought this was awesome. I wanted to know how much cream went into the risotto. Elizabeth's answer - none - was both surprising and educational (the creaminess comes from the constant stirring stripping the starch out of the rice). I would definitely eat here again.

JESS: I loved the risotto. The tangy flavors were really great. The salmon peeled apart perfectly. I have no bad comments considering I ate all the leftovers.

MY VOTE ON MY DISH:
I give it four stars, and let me explain.

First, I can't eat salmon because I'm allergic to it, so, as a disclaimer, I can only make an educated judgement about the "risotto" and arugula. I put risotto in quotes because I'm 95% sure that I completely ruined it.

Don't get me wrong, the flavors were great - the lemon and leek were delicious. But the texture was suspect, and I think that's because I overcooked it. I actually remember the point in time when I tasted the risotto and thought to myself, "This is al dente. Maybe I should quit while I'm ahead," but then I proceeded to cook it for about 15 more minutes, until it was teetering on the edge of mush (it had the consistency of rice pudding, which, while delicious, isn't what I was going for).


I also looked up "risotto tips" online later, confirming my overcooked theory. I also learned that if you add the parmesan cheese too soon (which I think I might have), it can become oily and grainy. I didn't notice that it was oily or grainy, but either way, you're supposed to stir it in right before you serve it, off the cooking heat.

I was hyper-aware of my risotto blunder considering we were watching Top Chef. By the way, did was anyone else totally disappointed in the lack of creativity in this last challenge? I mean, you choose your favorite movie and then make a meal inspired by it - how cool is that? - and Spike chooses "Good Morning Vietnam" and makes VIETNAMESE FOOD??!! So unexpected!


It got me thinking: what would I make for that challenge? Well, my favorite movie is, of course, Clueless.


It takes place in California, so I'd probably do something in the "California Cuisine" genre - something light, with avocados - maybe halibut in parchment paper with lime and cliantro - a Mexican influence. And for dessert, well - there's a part in the movie where Cher describes what she's eaten that day: "I feel like such a heiffer. I had two mochacchinos, five M&M's...." So maybe a Mocchachino Mousse with crushed M & M topping? And as an appetizer or amuse bouche, Chef and Dionne spend a lot of time in the mall, so maybe a gourmet bite-sized twist on "mall food" - perhaps an impossibly tiny, doughy warm pretzel, with a Meyer-lemonade-vodka shot on the side?

This is what I'm talking about, people! CREATIVITY.

Ultimately, boring old Manuel was banished by Padma - can't say I'm saddened by his departure.


Thanks to my guests, and thanks for reading! Till next time...