Rarely is a meal that I make for myself as much about eating something pretty as it is about eating something delicious. But sometimes life just works out for the best. This dish of potatoes and trout is a prime example.
I’d made a green pesto (I blended together basil, olive oil, salt, pepper and toasted sunflower seeds) and I’d opened a delicious sun-dried tomato spread from Kemia for a TV segment. So I decided to mandoline some potatoes, rub them in the two pestos and bake them until soft and a little crispy on the edges, like this:
Then I seared some trout and diced up an Ontario summer peach with some of my garden’s cherry tomatoes and green onions, plus salt and pepper. the result was a salsa reminiscent of the one I’d had at Beau Mont in Parc Ex (for a ton more money, though excellently prepared).
Restaurant quality? Maybe not quite. But delicious. And pretty enough. And if peaches aren’t in season, try a pear or some grapes. It’ll still be lovely.
Pesto Potatoes
Serves 4
2 tbsp basil pesto (homemade or store-bought)
2 tbsp sun-dried tomato spread or pesto (homemade or store-bought)
6-8 medium potatoes, peeled if not organic and sliced fine on a mandoline or by hand
1. Rub half the potato slices with the basil pesto and the other half with the sun-dried tomato pesto.
2. Bake in a 375˚F oven for 15 minutes.
3. Check to see if the potatoes are tender. If not, bake another 5 minutes or until they are.
Seared Trout with Peach and Tomato Salsa
Serves 4
2 ripe peaches, diced
10 cherry tomatoes, diced
1 tsp extra virgin olive oil or local sunflower oil
1 green onion, finely chopped, green part only
salt and pepper
1 tbsp high heat oil (sunflower, coconut, canola or other vegetable oil)
4 skin-on trout fillets (about 1 1/2 lbs)
1. Combine the peaches, cherry tomatoes, olive oil and a pinch of salt and pepper in a small bowl.
2. Pat the trout dry and season with a generous 1/2 tsp salt and a pinch or a few grinds of pepper.
3. Heat the oil in a large skillet over high heat. Add the fish skin-side down. Cook for 1 minute, pressing down with the back of a spatula so the skin doesn’t wrinkle and steam underneath.
4. Flip the fish over (if it’s not crispy, flip it back once the bottom stops sticking), turn the heat to medium-high and cook for 1 minute more. If the fillets are thin, this might be all the time they need. If not, cook another minute, until the flesh just starts to flake. It’ll keep cooking a tin bit as you take it off the heat. Remove to a serving dish or plate immediately.
5. Serve with the potatoes and some steamed beans. Top with the peach and tomato salsa.
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