Smoked Salmon Dauphinoise Food

SMOKED SALMON & CELERIAC DAUPHINOISE

Steps:

• Heat the oven to 200C/180C fan/gas 6. Pour the juice of one lemon into a large bowl. Slice your celeriac into pieces about the thickness of a £1 coin, tossing them into the lemon juice as you go, then add the potato slices.
• In a large ovenproof dish, layer the celeriac and potato with the slices of salmon, sprinkling with your small handful of chopped dill, 1 chopped onion and drizzling a little cream over each layer. Season with a little salt and lots of pepper at each stage. You should have three layers of potatoes and celeriac sandwiching two of salmon, onion and dill. Finish with the remaining cream.
• Cover the dish with foil and place on a tray. Bake for 45 minutes, then remove the foil and bake for another 30-40 minutes until bubbling and the top is crispy and golden. Test that the vegetables are cooked by inserting a skewer or small knife - it should push in easily. If you like, you can flash it under a hot grill to get the top layer really crispy. Leave to cool slightly then serve straight from the dish with a crisp green salad.

SMOKED SALMON

Steps:

• In a bowl, mix together salt, sugar, brown sugar and peppercorns. Spread extra-wide aluminum foil a little longer than the length of the fish and top with an equally long layer of plastic wrap. Sprinkle 1/3 of the rub onto the plastic. Lay 1 side of the fish skin down onto the rub. Sprinkle 1/3 of the rub onto the flesh of the salmon. Place second side of salmon, flesh down onto the first side. Use the remaining rub to cover the skin on the top piece. Fold plastic over to cover then close edges of foil together and crimp tightly around the fish. Place wrapped fish onto a plank or sheet pan and top with another plank or pan. Weigh with a heavy phone book or a brick or two and refrigerate for 12 hours. Flip the fish over and refrigerate another 12 hours. Some juice will leak out during the process so make sure there's a place for the runoff to gather. Unwrap fish and rinse off the cure with cold water. Pat salmon with paper towels then place in a cool, dry place (not the refrigerator) until the surface of the fish is dry and matte-like, 1 to 3 hours depending on humidity. A fan may be used to speed the process. Smoke fish (see Note) over smoldering hardwood chips or sawdust, keeping the temperature inside the smoker between 150 degrees F and 160 degrees F until the thickest part of the fish registers 150 degrees. Serve immediately or cool to room temperature, wrap tightly and refrigerate for up to 3 days. Cook's Note: Trout, mackerel, and bluefish also smoke well.

GRATIN OF FRESH & SMOKED SALMON, BEETROOT, POTATOES & DILL

Steps:

• Using a sharp knife, cut the salmon into slices about ½cm thick (if there's skin on your salmon, leave it behind as you cut each slice). Tear the smoked salmon into pieces.
• Cut the potatoes into wafer thin slices as if you were making Dauphinoise potatoes. It's best (and certainly quickest) to do this with a mandoline.
• Heat oven to 180C/160C fan/gas 4 and put in a baking sheet to heat up. Mix the creams and the milk in a large saucepan, and bring to just under the boil. Add the potatoes and cook gently for 5 mins, carefully turning the potatoes over from time to time. Cut the beets into slices about 2mm thick.
• Season the potatoes and cream and butter a 22 x 30cm baking dish. Spoon half of the potatoes into the dish and spread them out. Put half the beetroot on top of that, then half the fish. Season and add half the dill. Now add the rest of the beetroot and fish, seasoning again and adding the dill. Spoon the rest of the potatoes on top. You don't need to arrange the top layer of potatoes nicely unless you really want to.
• Bake for 1 hr, or until the potatoes are completely tender and the top is bubbling (it may need an additional 10 mins). Serve with a green salad or, if you want something more comforting, warm cabbage.

SMOKED HADDOCK DAUPHINOISE

Steps:

• Put the potatoes in a pan of cold, salted water and bring to the boil, then turn off the heat. Drain well. Tip the potatoes back into the pan and pour over the cream, then add the thyme, two-thirds of the parmesan and the haddock. Season and gently mix everything together.
• Butter a medium-sized gratin dish, then tip in the potato mixture. Scatter with the remaining parmesan. Will keep covered and chilled for a day or frozen for three months. Defrost fully before cooking.
• Heat the oven to 190C/170C fan/gas 5. Bake for 30-35 mins until golden and bubbling around the edges. Leave to cool for at least 5 mins, then serve straight from the dish with a dressed watercress salad on the side, if you like. Scatter with some extra thyme and grind over some black pepper to serve.

SMOKED SALMON DAUPHINOISE

Steps:

• Heat the oven to 350. Butter a casserole dish or an ovenproof deep skillet.
• Place a third of the potatoes in the bottom of the dish. Sprinkle with half of the salmon, herbs and shallots. Season with salt and pepper. Repeat with potatoes, remaining salmon, herbs and salt and pepper. Top with remaining third of sliced potatoes.
• Mis the cream and milk. Pour over the potatoes. Cover with aluminum foil. Bake 45 minutes. Uncover and bake for 15 more minutes. Let it sit for 15 minutes before serving.