Beet and Smoked Trout Salad

Adapted from A Girl and Her Pig.

Ingredients:

•  4 bunches baby beets, washed well
•  1/4 cup olive oil (use a good quality oil)
•  2 tablespoon balsamic vinegar
• French sea salt
• 6 unpeeled garlic cloves
•  6 sprigs thyme (I used 4 sage leaves)
• 1 medium smoked trout
•  4 tablespoons crème frâiche
•  1/2 c. chives (finely chopped)

Directions

Step 1

Preheat the oven to 400. Put the trimmed beets (can substitute potatoes) in a bowl, drizzle them with olive oil and balsamic vinegar, sprinkle with salt and toss well. Arrange the potatoes in a mound in the middle of a baking dish (don’t spread them out). Drizzle with the liquid from the bowl. Sprinkle the garlic and thyme around the potatoes. Add ½ cup of water to the pan, but not on top of the potatoes. Cover with two layers of aluminum foil. Bake for about 40 minutes until the potatoes are tender.

Step 2

While the potatoes are cooking, make the dressing. In a small container with a lid, combine the lemon juice, olive oil and salt. Shake well. Peel the skin off the trout. Pull the fillets from the center bone. Check for small pin bones and remove them. Break the trout into bite-sized pieces and put in a small bowl. Add ½ the dressing and toss to combine.

Step 3

When the potatoes are tender, remove the foil, give a quick stir and cook for another 15 minutes. With a slotted spoon, remove the potatoes and place in a small bowl, leaving any oil behind. Toss with the rest of the dressing.

Step 4

To serve: arrange the potatoes on a plate. Scatter the smoked trout on the potatoes. Add a dollop of crème frâiche to each plate and garnish with the chives. Serve and enjoy!

Powered by GetMeCooking

My verdict: Delicious! This is a great way to roast potatoes. You could use any herbs, rosemary especially would be nice if you were just doing the potatoes. After this, I may start smoking my own trout and since I seem to have saved at least three recipes from the book, I may have to own it…

I’m experimenting with a new layout for posting recipes and would love your comments!

Smoked Trout and Potato Salad Recipe

As things sometime turn out, the Accidental Locavore had just finished reading a recipe for smoked trout with potatoes from April Bloomfield’s A Girl and Her Pigwhen my husband started talking about how much he liked smoked trout, a factoid I filed away for future reference.

A week later I was at the last indoor version of the Rhinebeck Farmer’s Market, where one of the vendors had some lovely looking smoked trout. I got one and proceeded to give April’s recipe a shot. The original recipe was for 4 people, this was adapted to feed 2. If you want to make your own crème frâiche click for the recipe.