When I was selected to submit a dish for the #dinewithaldi challenge I wanted to create a recipe that had minimal and simple ingredients. My personal aim was to present an interesting dish, that looked good enough to be served at a dinner-party. But a dish that was easy to prep and all parts could be baked at the same time.
I love food, but I hate faff!
Ingredients:
(The butter wasn’t needed!)
Approx. 4-5 medium maris piper potatoes
1 x 200g tub of soft cheese
2 x fresh salmon fillets
50g of parmesan cheese
½ packet of ready salted crisps
100g of asparagus tips
Olive oil and black pepper to season
Mixed herbs to season (optional)
Instructions:
Pre-heat oven to 180°C / Gas Mark 4-5
Peel and quarter the potatoes.
Boil until soft in slightly salted water.
Drain and place in a clean bowl. Add 100g (½ tub) of soft cheese and stir in. Then mash the potatoes in the usual way.
Add the mashed potato to a large piping bag with a nozzle (a large freezer bag with the corner snipped off will work also).
Pipe twirls onto a lightly greased baking tray. The potato will make at least 6 good size twirls.
Put on one side until ready to bake.
Take each salmon fillet and remove any remaining bones.
Cut a split in the centre of each fillet, ensuring the fillet isn’t cut completely through.
Using the remaining soft cheese, spoon approx. 2 teaspoons into each split and close.
Grate 50g of parmesan.
Hand crush half a bag of ready salted crisps.
Mix together approx. half of the grated parmesan with the crushed crisps and sprinkle over the top of the 2 fillets. Keep the remaining parmesan.
Season with a little mixed herbs and black pepper and drizzle over a tiny amount of oil.
The salmon and potatoes are baked at the same time.
They can be baked on the same lightly greased tray. Place in the pre-heated oven for 10 minutes.
Whilst the salmon and potatoes are starting to cook, prep the asparagus.
Trim and wash the asparagus.
Toss the asparagus in olive oil and sprinkle over the remaining parmesan. Season with a little black pepper. Ensure the asparagus is thoroughly coated.
Place the asparagus on a lightly oiled baking tray.
When the salmon and potatoes have been cooking for 10 minutes add the asparagus to the oven and bake everything for a further 15 minutes.
Aldi Costings (approximate and correct at 10.10.13):
4-5 Maris Piper potatoes/ approx. quarter of a 2.5kg bag) = 0.60p
200g soft cheese = 0.49p
2 x Salmon Fillets = £3.09
50g Parmesan = 0.60p
Asparagus = £1.49
½ packet of ready salted crisps = 0.05p
(Olive oil, black pepper and mixed herbs – store cupboard ingredients and not included in cost)
Total cost = £6.32 (£3.16 per person)
** Please note that I am not a qualified nutritionist or professional cook. My recipes are what I put together at home and all amounts etc… are approximate. What I write is my own experience of cooking the recipe. Ovens and ingredients do vary – just go with it, have fun and apply common sense at all times! Practice makes perfect!**
Oh boy I have some of this salmon in my freezer. I am definitely going to make this. Can you tell me what “soft cheese” is? Is it the same as cream cheese of here in the USA?
Sorry Joyce… Yes cream cheese x
Thanks!! I can’t wait to make this-the whole meal!!!!!!!
Oh boy I have some of this salmon in my freezer. I am definitely going to make this. Can you tell me what “soft cheese” is? Is it the same as cream cheese of here in the USA?
Sorry Joyce… Yes cream cheese x
Thanks!! I can’t wait to make this-the whole meal!!!!!!!
Wow! Thank you! 🙂
Glad you like! 😉 Feel free to vote for me if you have a Twitter account haha!
Wow! Thank you! 🙂
Glad you like! 😉 Feel free to vote for me if you have a Twitter account haha!
I was guessing that soft cheese meant cream cheese. Interesting idea to put cream cheese on the salmon and bake it. Did it turn out as good as it looks?
Yes we enjoyed it – thanks
I was guessing that soft cheese meant cream cheese. Interesting idea to put cream cheese on the salmon and bake it. Did it turn out as good as it looks?
Yes we enjoyed it – thanks
That looks delicious! And easy as well!
Thanks Jen – simple but effective. Just how I like it.
That looks delicious! And easy as well!
Thanks Jen – simple but effective. Just how I like it.
Oh, this looks so good … I love meals that are simple, easy but have a little something extra, and I think this looks wonderful. It’s on my list to try now. Do you mind me asking how you came up with the idea, or is that a secret due to the competition? I don’t have much imagination for putting foods together, and most recipes are too long and complicated for my liking! Good luck; I hope you get shortlisted.
Interesting comment Jo.
I too dislike recipes due to the long list of ingredients and steps. Yet I love cooking. Most recipes I see, I change. Taking out things that I feel add minimal taste/texture. I’m the queen of shortcuts.
I’d decided that I wanted to do potato twirls because I love how simple yet stylish they are. So I had to choose something to go with them. I had two dishes in mind. Chicken with cranberry and fig wrapped in parma ham or salmon. Personally I have to add something to salmon to enjoy it. Asparagus would be the choice for the veg if I went with salmon, so cheese seemed most suitable.
Finally it was actually the girl on the Aldi checkout that made the final call. She didn’t know why, but on a visit I asked whether she preferred salmon or chicken. She didn’t inquire why I asked.
I did get shortlisted, but votes can only be taken on Twitter. My vote would be for dish B (I’m A). It’s a burger and beer dish. I’m hoping I can get the recipe 😉
If I had a Twitter account, I would definitely vote for you … sometimes there is a down side to opting out of social media! Thank you for expanding on your thought process when you chose your recipe. I always thought I was fussy or lazy for not wanting to use all the ingredients in a recipe, but I’m starting to see it differently now. Simple is good 🙂
Simple makes sense 😉
Oh, this looks so good … I love meals that are simple, easy but have a little something extra, and I think this looks wonderful. It’s on my list to try now. Do you mind me asking how you came up with the idea, or is that a secret due to the competition? I don’t have much imagination for putting foods together, and most recipes are too long and complicated for my liking! Good luck; I hope you get shortlisted.
Interesting comment Jo.
I too dislike recipes due to the long list of ingredients and steps. Yet I love cooking. Most recipes I see, I change. Taking out things that I feel add minimal taste/texture. I’m the queen of shortcuts.
I’d decided that I wanted to do potato twirls because I love how simple yet stylish they are. So I had to choose something to go with them. I had two dishes in mind. Chicken with cranberry and fig wrapped in parma ham or salmon. Personally I have to add something to salmon to enjoy it. Asparagus would be the choice for the veg if I went with salmon, so cheese seemed most suitable.
Finally it was actually the girl on the Aldi checkout that made the final call. She didn’t know why, but on a visit I asked whether she preferred salmon or chicken. She didn’t inquire why I asked.
I did get shortlisted, but votes can only be taken on Twitter. My vote would be for dish B (I’m A). It’s a burger and beer dish. I’m hoping I can get the recipe 😉
If I had a Twitter account, I would definitely vote for you … sometimes there is a down side to opting out of social media! Thank you for expanding on your thought process when you chose your recipe. I always thought I was fussy or lazy for not wanting to use all the ingredients in a recipe, but I’m starting to see it differently now. Simple is good 🙂
Simple makes sense 😉
I am not on Twitter but my daugher is, so you’ll get a vote from my household 🙂 My question: since the salmon and potatoes are side-by-side, does the liquid that comes out from the salmon fillets leak into the potatoes? Or is there not that much liquid? I love the idea of putting it all on one baking sheet, and asparagus roasted in the oven is one of my favorite things ever.
I am not on Twitter but my daugher is, so you’ll get a vote from my household 🙂 My question: since the salmon and potatoes are side-by-side, does the liquid that comes out from the salmon fillets leak into the potatoes? Or is there not that much liquid? I love the idea of putting it all on one baking sheet, and asparagus roasted in the oven is one of my favorite things ever.