Prep time:  15 minutes
Cook time:  15 minutes

Shopping List

• 2 long (English) cucumbers
• 1 bunch tarragon
• 1 bunch chives
• 1-1/2 lbs. small potatoes (we love Yukon Golds)
• 1-1/2 lbs. salmon fillet, with skin
• Dry mustard
• Celery seed
• Turmeric
• 1 loaf crusty, whole grain bread

Pantry Items

• Black pepper
• Extra-virgin olive oil
• Ground cinnamon
• Sea Salt
• Unsalted Butter
• White sugar
• White wine vinegar

Tools

• Bread knife
• Chef’s knife
• Heavy skillet
• Measuring cups and spoons
• Medium saucepan
• Mixing bowls
• Paring knife
• Spatula
• Strainer
• Vegetable Peeler
• Whisk
• Wooden spoons

Suggestions

• Wine:  White Sancerre
• Dessert:  Last-of-the-season berry cobbler

Game Plan:

• When you walk in the door
  • Get out Pantry Items
  • Get out Tools
  • Assemble the ingredients
  • Open the wine and put it in the fridge
• Prep
  • Peel the cucumbers, and cut them in half, lengthwise.
  • Use a soup spoon to scrape out the seeds.
  • Finely chop the cucumbers, and put them in a bowl. Sprinkle them with scant ½ tsp. salt and stir.
  • Rinse the salmon, pat it dry.
  • Cut it into 4 equal-sized pieces, and refrigerate it.
  • Wash the potatoes really well, and put them in a medium saucepan. (If they’re organic, you don’t need to peel them. Otherwise, it’s a good idea to remove the peel.)  Cover them with water, add ½ tsp. salt and set over medium-high heat.
  • Strip 1/4 cup leaves from the tarragon.
  • Put ½ tsp. dry mustard, ½ tsp. turmeric, heaping 1/4 tsp. celery seed, and 1 heaping tbsp. sugar in a small bowl, and mix together with your fingers.
• Start Cooking
  • If the potatoes are boiling hard, reduce the heat so they are simmering. They’ll take about 15 minutes to cook.
  • Drain the cucumbers. Put them back in the bowl and add the dry mustard and sugar mixture, toss.
  • Add 1 tbsp. vinegar and toss, toss, toss. Taste – increase whatever seasoning you need to, to make it taste fabulous, then set it aside.
  • Put 1 tbsp. butter and 1 tbsp. olive oil in a heavy skillet over medium-high heat.
  • While the butter and oil are heating up, sprinkle each piece of salmon evenly with a light dusting of cinnamon.
  • When the butter and oil are hot, put the salmon in the pan, skin side down. Sprinkle the salmon with some salt and pepper, and cover it. Turn the heat down slightly – to about medium. It’s going to take 8-10 minutes to cook, and you’re not going to touch it.
  • Check the potatoes – if a sharp knife goes right through the one you’re testing, the potatoes are cooked, so remove them from the heat. They can stay in the hot water.
  • Set the table. Cut the bread.
  • Check the salmon – if the fats are getting too dark, reduce the heat a little more. If the salmon is opaque all the way through, it’s done. If it’s still pretty translucent, put that cover back on.
  • Mince the tarragon and stir it into the cucumber relish. Taste it and adjust the seasoning.
  • Check the salmon – it’s probably cooked. If it is, remove it from the heat.
  • Use a metal spatula to remove the salmon from the pan – it’s easy, just slip the spatula between the salmon and its skin. Leave the skin in the pan, and put the salmon on a plate.
  • Using a slotted spoon, put a spoonful of relish next to the salmon.
  • Mince the chives.
  • Drain the potatoes and put them in a shallow bowl. Quickly crush them with a fork, and drizzle them with 2 -3 tbsps. olive oil, and add a big pat of butter. Toss them.
  • Sprinkle the potatoes with salt, pepper and the chives. Toss again and take everything to the table – dinner is served!
  • Don’t forget the wine and the bread!

Wow that was fast, let’s eat!

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