I’ll be brief. Here’s dinner from last night:

Horseradish Crusted Salmon, Scallion Potato Pancakes & Beet Greens

A slight advantage of being a shut-in is that you can prepare food somewhat, way, or not at all – in advance. This dinner is a good example.

• the fish can be prepared anytime during the day. It takes about 10 minutes to cook.
• ditto with potato pancakes.
• if you have beets with their greens attached, you can cook the beets (separately) and save them for tomorrow. Cook the greens anytime during the day. Reheats easily.

How to:

Horseradish Crusted Salmon

Panko, dry Japanese breadcrumbs, are sold in most supermarkets. They can be used for any recipe calling for breadcrumbs. If you can’t find then, just use regular breadcrumbs or crackers. Serves 2

Coat:
2 (6 oz) pieces of salmon fillet with 1 teaspoon melted butter.
Salt and pepper the fish.

Mix together:
½ cup panko crumbs
¾ tablespoon horseradish, drained
1 tablespoon dry thyme – or a few tablespoons of chopped fresh dill

Press this mixture onto the fish, put in a baking dish and chill for 10 minutes or until ready to cook. .
Heat oven to 475.  Bake for 8 to 10 minutes.
Serve with a slice of lemon.

Scallion Potato Pancakes

From Susan Lindeborg when she was chef at the Morrison Clark Inn. This recipe can be done in stages. You can boil the potatoes a few hours in advance. The peeling and grating are very easy as the potatoes are soft. Once the mixture is made, set it aside until you’re ready to sauté the cakes. Serves 2

2 baking potatoes
2 scallions
2 tablespoons, approximately, crème fraîche, sour cream or yoghurt
Cooking oil and butter for frying

Place washed baking potatoes* in cold water to generously cover and bring to a full boil. Turn off heat and let sit in water until cool. Remove the peels. Grate the potatoes with a large hole grater. Mix with 1 part thinly sliced scallions and a little crème fraîche, sour cream or yoghurt to bind.

Add salt and pepper.

Form into round cakes. Heat a film of oil and about 1 tablespoon of butter until it foams. Fry the cakes until lightly browned on both sides.

*Be sure the potatoes are ‘baking’ not boiling – the starch will keep the cakes together which is important since there is no egg in the mixture.

Beet Greens (and Beets)

Cut the green away from the beets (but leave the root end of the beets whole). Wash everything. Place the beets on a piece of aluminum foil large enough to completely cover them. Salt and pepper the beets and drizzle a little olive oil over. Wrap up and place on a baking tray. Roast at 375 F for about 45 minus. Test with a knife to doneness. Let cool. Peel the beets (the skins will come off very easily) and refrigerate.

Now the greens: Strip the leaves from the stalks. Cut the stalks into small pieces and put in a saucepan with about 1/2 inch of water and a little salt. Bring to a boil and simmer a few minutes until the stalks are nearly soft. Add all the leaves all at once, turn up the heat, and stir with a fork until the leaves are wilted. Off heat. Drain. Put in a bowl. Reheat when desired. Add one or two teaspoons of vinegar if you wish.

Getting it to the table…

Preheat the oven for the fish. Using your hands, from the potato pancakes into little hockey pucks. Heat the butter & oil and start to sauté the cakes. Put the fish in the oven (set the timer). Reheat the greens in the microwave.

Serve the plates. Pinot noir is good with this.