An Easter Menu (that anyone can do!)
Lemon & Shallot Salmon, Crispy Smashed Potatoes & Greens
Lemon Posset
This is another easy menu that I really think anyone could do, yes, including you! With a little confidence in yourself you can make something that looks and feels impressive but in reality, is some fish and potatoes that tastes really good.
Serving up a whole side of salmon might look intimidating to some but it really is simple and cooks nice and quickly. I picked up this salmon for £15 from Ocado but they range from about £10 to £40 depending on where you buy your salmon from and there are usually good deals to be had around Easter/Christmas etc. In this case I think bigger is better as cold salmon is so good in salads or stirred through pasta so it won’t go to waste.
I have popped a few notes at the bottom of the page on timings, but I suggest you make the dessert, prep the salmon ready for the oven and boil the potatoes before your guests arrive so you’re ahead and nice and calm and all you need to do is pop a few things in the oven and boil some veggies when they’re there.
The order of the oven is the potatoes go in first while it’s really hot first, then the salmon will join the potatoes in the oven for the final 20 minutes at a lower heat. If you have a double oven or are using AGA you can keep them separately and cook the potatoes for about half an hour on the higher heat.
Now onto the easiest dessert in the world… Lemon posset was one of the first things I ever learned to make and will always be my go-to dessert. I don’t quite understand the science of it, but it’s one of those things that is almost impossible to mess up, and the fact that it only needs 3 ingredients is a massive bonus!
The other thing I love about this dessert, and why I think it’s perfect for this easter menu, is the fact it can be prepared in advanced. I always think at least one cold course that can be prepared ahead makes your life so so much easier and this does just that. I like to serve with fresh berries and it is often served with a crumbly shortbread, but as we’re keeping this easy I’m not suggesting you make it.
WHAT YOU’LL NEED
Serves 6
Skill: Easy
Time: 1.15-hour prep & cooking, plus 3 hours setting time for the posset
Equipment: 2 large baking trays, 1 wide frying pan, 1 large saucepan
INGREDIENTS
For the salmon:
1 side of salmon (approx 1kg)
2 lemons (one sliced into thin slices and the other halved)
2 banana shallots, cut into thin circles
100g Salted butter, cubed
10g parsley finely chopped (or coriander if you’re feeling fancy and want to try something a little different)
For the potatoes:
1 kg salad potatoes
75ml olive oil
1tsp garlic powder
1 tsp onion powder
1 tsp salt
2 tsp oregano
For the greens:
300g Tenderstem Broccoli
300g Fine Green Beans
For the lemon posset:
600ml double cream
200g golden caster sugar
2 lemons, zest and juice
Optional fresh fruit, shortbread or mini-eggs to decorate.
INSTRUCTIONS
THE SALMON
Bring the salmon out of the fridge about half an hour before you want to cook it. Place it on a foil-lined baking sheet to stop it from sticking. We aren’t going for crispy skin here so don’t worry about that.
Make the salmon dressing by adding a large knob of the butter to a wide pan. Melt the butter then add the shallots with a pinch of salt and gently sautee them for 5 minutes. Then add the thinly sliced lemon and a really generous grind of black pepper then cook for another 5 minutes to release all the juice from the lemons.
Finally, add the remaining butter and let it melt and turn very slightly brown if you like but watch it as you don’t want it to burn. Squeeze in the juice of the other lemon and it’s ready to dress the salmon.
Generously season the fish with plenty of salt and pepper and then spoon over the lemony shallot butter so all of the fish is covered then drizzle over the butter leaving a little coating the pan. Don’t wash this pan yet! You can prepare up to this stage before your guests arrive and then set it aside until you’re ready to put it in the oven.
This will go in the oven for 20 minutes at 180C/350F…BUT If you’re cooking the whole menu then I suggest the potatoes go in first. You want the fish just cooked and flakey. See notes on cooking temperature if you aren’t sure.
THE POTATOES
Boil the potatoes for 15-20 minutes depending on their size until fork tender. Drain and let them dry a little. *Don’t wash this pan yet as you’ll use it later for the greens!
Preheat the oven to 220/430F and place the dried potatoes onto a non-stick baking tray and then use the back of a glass, a potato masher or the back of a fish slice to GENTLY smash them a bit so you have edges that will get crispy. Leave them to sit for 10 minutes or so to allow some of the steam to escape.
While the potatoes are boiling, combine the remaining ingredients in a small bowl and then brush it all over the potatoes.
Roast the potatoes in a hot oven for 20 minutes then turn down the heat and put the salmon in the oven along with the potatoes for another 20 minutes. If you aren’t cooking the salmon and are just making the potatoes then cook them for half an hour at 200C/400F.
THE GREENS
Using the pan you used to boil the potatoes, quickly boil the greens in salted water for 2-3 minutes.
While the potatoes are cooking, re-heat the pan you used to make the lemon and shallot butter. then the greens have finished boiling, quickly transfer them to the pan and toss them together with some sea salt so that they’re coated in the remaining butter.
LEMON POSSET
In a pan heat the cream and sugar until the sugar has melted and the cream is gently boiling (you’ll see little bubbles around the side of the pan) and let it boil for 2-3 minutes. Keep stirring so it doesn’t stick or burn.
Add in the lemon zest and lemon juice and stir really well to combine. Pour into 6 serving dishes (little GU pots are just perfect for this) and leave to cool before putting in the fridge, covered, for a few hours to set or overnight. They’ll look like small portions but it’s quite rich!
Eat them as they are or top them with some fresh fruit or mini-eggs when you're ready to serve.
NOTES
The day before you could make the possets and leave them in the fridge to set overnight.
The fish is cooked when it’s easy to flake. I like my salmon to be just cooked. The BBC suggest checking whether the salmon fillet is cooked perfectly by measuring the temperature inside the fish with a thermometer - 45-50C/110-125F is perfect.
I know there are fancier ways to cook greens but here I think it’s good to keep it simple and soak up the last of the flavour
You could do the veggies ahead of your guests arriving and heat them up in the microwave as then you could do pretty much all the prep washing up before anyone is there and that’s always a nice to have out of the way.
The posset portions look small but it’s a very rich dessert so you don’t need a lot of it!
