Ready to tackle this dinner? Not quite as bad as it sounds. I woud leave an hour for the entire preparation. Just make sure that you have all of the ingredients on-hand in advance!
And please excuse this picture. Sadly, I forgot to whip out my camera until after a certain roommate had already dug into his meal.
Now, let's break down the three parts of this meal! As is often the case, some of these recipes come from one of my favorite magazines, Cooking Light.
Cajun Fingerling Potatoes
Since these take the longest to cook, I decided to start with them. I am a huge fan of fingerling potatoes. They typically come in 3 kinds - purple, red, and white. Yes, those are the technical names! But really, they are quite tasty. They are quite small, finger-sized, and are rather knobbly, but are fully mature at this size. They have more flavor than a regular potato and each of the colors has its own unique flavoring with subtle texture differences as well.
Most upscale grocery stores (i.e. Whole Foods) will carry them, but if you are unable to located fingerling potatoes then simple mini red potatoes or new potatoes will suffice.
Chop the washed fingerling potates in half or in quarters if they are large; each piece should be bite sized, less than a cubic inch. Place them in a large bowl and sprinkle with olive oil. Use just enough to lighly coat them when they are well tossed but not enough to pool at the bottom of the bowl or soak the potatoes. If you are unsure about how much to add then just add a little bit at a time, tossing between adding to see how well it coats the potatoes. I believe I probably used about a tablespoon, but it varies with the number of potatoes used as well. Sprinkle cajun spices (you can buy "Cajun Spice" in any supermarket and this is a staple in any kitchen) into the bowl and toss the potatoes until they are coated with the spice. Place on a greased baking sheet. The potatoes should be in one layer across the baking sheet. If they are piling up higher than that, then you need more sheets! Bake at 375 for about 30 minutes. Cooking time will vary slightly depending on the size of the pieces, so if they are on the small side you might want to check at 20 or 25 minutes. The potatoes should be slightly sizzling in the oven and tender when cooked correctly.
Brown Sugar and Mustard Salmon
Surprise! I actually mostly followed the recipe for this one, but there are still a few exceptions. Live in an apartment like I do? Makes grilling more difficult. I am lucky in that there is a roof deck with some (fake a.k.a. electric) grills, but toting everything up and down the stairs and chasing away the other residents can eventually get tiring. To speed up the cooking process, I decided to stick to the stove in my apartment.
I prepared the sauce as instructed minus the ginger since I am not such a big fan of the flavor. I spread the sauce on the salmon to marinate for fifteen minutes and heated a little bit of olive oil in a pan over medium heat. I then tossed in the salmon and let it cook, flipping halfway through. The cooking time for salmon varies greatly depending on the thickness of the filet and how rare or well done you prefer your fish, but I cooked it fully through in 15-20 minutes (7-10 minutes on each side.) If you are unsure if it's done, simply cut it in half with the spatula - the diners will cut off a piece anyway so simply use portioning as your excuse!
Sauteed Broccoli and Mushrooms
This, too, is a recipe from Cooking Light. And once again, I followed it generally true to form. I added some extra shallots since I am a fan of their flavor, using probably 1/2 a cup of them. I also let the broccoli cook longer in the broth, for about ten minutes rather than the prescribed five. This made the broccoli tender rather than crispy. This was a decision based on personal taste, so feel free to stick with the five minutes if that sounds better to you.
Want a vegetarian version? Simply substitute vegetable broth for the chicken broth. The taste will obviously vary a little, too, but should be just as delicious!
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