Fan favorite

When I cook for someone new I tend to cook something from my "fan favorites" list. New recipes can be intimidating and these three recipes are fail proof and veggie haters even ask for seconds! For my special guest I knew it had to be my maple dill salmon with garlic herbed potatoes and sauteed brussels sprouts topped with bacon and walnuts.


Make sure to arrange the racks in the oven before hand, 1st rack 1/3 of the way to the top and the 2nd rack 1/3 from the bottom. I like to prep the potatoes first and get them in the oven before doing anything else as it takes almost a full hour to bake.  The potatoes will cook best on the bottom rack and the salmon will bake nicely on the top rack. 

Garlic herb roasted potatoes - approx 1.5 hour


- 2 lb of potatoes - you can go with one kind of potato or a medley (you can adjust if you don't need that much or if you need more)
- 3 tablespoons of olive oil 
- 3 minced or crushed cloves of garlic
- 2 teaspoons of salt
- 1 teaspoon of black pepper
- 1 table of herbs de provence (or any medley of herbs that you like such as thyme and rosemary)


Directions:
1. Preheat oven at 400.
2. Cut up potatoes into bite sized pieces and put in a pot to boil until cooked part way through. 
3. Drain and put potatoes back into the pot. Add olive oil, seasonings, and garlic. Transfer to baking sheet and spread out into 1 layer. 
4. Bake for about 45 minutes to 1 hour until browned and crisp. Flip twice with a spatula during cooking. 


Maple-dill glazed salmon - approx time with prep - 30 minutes

-       1.5-2lbs of salmon or 4 salmon fillets, rinsed and patted dry

-       1.5 tablespoon Dijon mustard or whole grain dijon mustard

-       2 tablespoon balsamic vinegar

-       ¼ cup of maple syrup

-       ½ teaspoon finely minced garlic

-       1 teaspoon dill weed

-       ½ teaspoon salt

-       2 tablespoon olive oil

Directions:

1. Whisk together mustard, vinegar, syrup, dill weed, and salt in a small bowl. 

2. Place salmon on foil lined pan for oven or grill ( if you are using the oven, please cook at 400 degrees).

3. Pour mixture over salmon and let marinate for 1 hour (less is okay).

4. Cook for 12-15 minutes. Should be slightly firm when pressing down on salmon with index finger. If you are really unsure, take a knife and cut a small slit in the center to see if the salmon is still pink (no one will know that you've never down this before).

Sauteed brussel sprouts with bacon and walnuts - approx 25 minutes

- 4 slices of bacon, chopped

- 1 1/2 lbs of brussel sprouts (cut into halves before sauteing)

- 6 cloves of garlic thinly sliced or chopped

- 1/2 cup of chicken broth (you can add more if needed)

- 1/4 teaspoon of salt

- 1/8 teaspoon of black pepper

- 1/4 cup of walnuts

Directions:

1. Heat a large nonstick skillet over medium high. Saute bacon for 5 minutes or until crispy. Use a slotted spoon to set bacon aside to drain. Discard excess drippings but leave about 1 tablespoon in pan for flavoring. 

2. Saute brussel sprouts for about 5 minutes. Add garlic and saute for about 2 minutes until garlic is brown. Stir frequently so the garlic doesn't burn.

3. Add 1/2 cup chicken broth and bring to a boil. Cook for 2-3 minutes until the broth evaporates. Season with salt and pepper, add bacon and chopped walnuts.