Potatoes, Salmon, And Salmon Roe Cream

This is meant to be potatoes and trout, but the shops were singularly lacking in anything trout-y!  Well, apart from the cold-smoked trout I managed to find.  So salmon it was!  Speaking of salmon - reminds me of the salmon ladder in Scotland we saw years ago.  All those fish desperately trying to get to their original spawning grounds.  I have to say there's nothing better than Scottish smoked salmon - soft, luscious, melt in your mouth, the best!  

the salmon ladder Pitlochry (Wikimedia Commons, Jonathan Billinger)

And speaking of Scotland, did I ever mention that we saw Lady Di (as was) being driven past in a black limo as we tried to get those pink Scottish pound notes from an ATM?  It was a Bank Holiday in England, so we headed over the border to get some much-needed cash.  Back in the day, when you needed traveller's cheques, or you could start a bank account in a Building Society (we weren't UK residents so that was our only option).  

And that reminds me of the time in Budapest - or was it Belgrade?  nah, it was Budapest - when a young lad sidled up to us offering ... lime-green chilli peppers!  Every restaurant and café chucked one on your dinner plate.  We were also offered black market cash by another fella, so you just never know what's on offer.  Oh yes, Mr P. was offered a daytime visit to a brothel when we were in Athens! 

Back to this dish: this recipe is from The Atlas Cookbook by Charlie Carrington, an Aussie chef.  (Never heard of him, folks.)  After having a quick flick through some of his recipes, I have to say they're a bit lacking in detail.  For instance, with this one, he never tells you what to do with your boiled potatoes (or the garlic).  I guess his spuds are forever sitting in a saucepan of tepid water ...    

creamy, eggy, fishy ...

Serves 4-6:

ingredients:

about 1 kg/2.2 lb waxy potatoes = around 6 regular-sized potatoes, cut into large chunks

1-2 cloves of garlic

1 tsp cracked black pepper

4 large eggs

200g./7 oz hot-smoked salmon (or trout if you can find it), pulled into chunks with a fork

a few Tbs (a big handful) of chopped parsley, chives, dill or your choice of herbs for garnish

cracked black pepper, to scatter over the dish

For the Salmon Roe Cream:

80g./2.8 oz salmon (or trout) roe

1/2-1 tsp sea salt flakes

100g./3.5 oz sour cream (I used sour light cream)

juice of 2 lemons (about 100 mL/3.5 oz)

Method:

Place the potatoes in a large saucepan with the garlic and black pepper, cover with lots of cold water, bring to the boil, and let them boil gently till the potatoes are tender - around 20 minutes

Drain and leave aside (pull off the loose skin if you feel inclined)

You will have boiled the eggs for about 8 minutes while the potatoes did their thing; run them under the tap, and peel 'em

Now grab your potato masher, and give those cooked eggs a good seeing-to, so you end up with a lovely coarse, eggy mash

Put the roe, the salt, the sour cream and lemon juice in a medium bowl, and give it a good stir (but not too fiercely; you don't want to break up the roe)

Grab a nice platter or bowl, spoon over the roe cream, then place the potatoes, the squeezed-out garlic clove(s), the mashed egg, and the fishy chunks on top

Garnish with the herbs, and extra black pepper if using

Serve with a green salad, or some edamame as I did; or add some radish slices for a bit of crunch

Notes:

Buy waxy potatoes - ones that are good for baking rather than for mash - I used Red Royales since I couldn't get the kipflers that Charlie suggests

I only had 50g./1.8 oz of roe (those jars are expensive), so I added 30g. (a big ounce) of chopped, cold-smoked trout

I also only had 150g. of the hot-smoked salmon, so I added 50g. of the cold-smoked trout that I'd been able to find

2 lemons will give you about 100 mL/3.5 oz of juice

Mr P. did suggest this would go down well in summer, rather than in the cold Brissie winter we are having this year!

ingredients gathered (a là Harry Potter)

chop your tatties into chunks

mash those eggy babies!

stir your fishy roe cream together - gently but firmly :-)

here comes dinner

hoe in!

moi and our friend Ms J. inside Tintern Abbey

Mr P., moi and Ms K. at The Temple of Poseidon, Cape Sounion - so young!

© Sherry M.