Day 17: Salmon with Potato Salad

Today's recipe was prepared by Real Simple's managing editor, Kristin van Ogtrop, who in addtion to editing the magazine, and writing her Adventures in Chaos blog, also came out with a book earlier this year: Just Let Me Lie Down.

 

I had my doubts  about serving the Salmon with Potato Salad recipe when my 12-year-old—and co-chef—asked me four times what was for dinner.  Every time I would answer "salmon," to which he would reply "Oh." And then half an hour later he would ask me again. 

 

 

 

Then my husband came home not with skinless salmon and prepared horseradish, as the recipe required, but horseradish *sauce* (frankly, I don't really even know what that is) and salmon with skin, though just on one side.

 

 

But no matter.  My co-chef and I prepared the recipe with only a couple of Spongebob Squarepants breaks, and the result was delicious.  We ended up using a whole bunch of watercress, but it amounted to just a bit more than two cups.  The salmon cooked faster than I expected and I turned the heat off after the second side had been on for only about three minutes. (But we used an iron skillet instead of a nonstick; perhaps that explains it.)  The dressing—horseradish *sauce* notwithstanding—was wonderful, and the flavors complemented each other perfectly.  We served the dish with bread and steamed artichokes, and strawberry rhubarb pie (courtesy of Trader Joe's) for dessert. Heaven.

 

 

Have you tried this recipe? Let us know how you liked it in the comments, and share your photos by following @RealSimpleFood on Twitter and using the hashtag #OctDinner.