Mustard-Crusted Salmon and Roasted Potatoes

I have always been intimidated by the idea of cooking fish at home. It seems beyond my ability. Fish is so delicious, yet so delicate. And, I have a thing about fishy fish. I like my fish fresh, and I guess I've just always been afraid that by cooking it myself I will make it more fishy. I don't think that's possible, but anyway, that's what I thought. The other night, however, I faced my fears as Jonathan suggested we try a salmon recipe out of a new cookbook I just got from Williams-Sonoma. Have I mentioned how much I love that store? And how ridiculously expensive it is? And how wonderful it smells when you walk by there? It's a total marketing ploy that sucks you in to the store so you will sample their delicious delicacies and then be forced to buy something.

So, I tried this new recipe using fresh salmon (a splurge for us, and one we won't be doing regularly). It was amazing! And so simple! Here is the recipe. It was such an easy meal to prepare that I bought some frozen salmon fillets from Sam's yesterday because now I am craving salmon and want to fix it again really soon. (Frozen fillets are MUCH cheaper than the fresh ones).

Here it is:

Mustard-Crusted Salmon & Roasted Potatoes

Ingredients:
2 tablespoons of olive oil
1 lb. of red-skinned potatoes, quartered
salt and pepper, to taste
1/4 cup Dijon mustard
2 tablespoons of dry mustard
1.5 lbs Salmon fillets (4 servings)
4 tablespoons Panko or fresh bread crumbs
1/4 cup fresh parsley, chopped

Directions:
1. Roast the potatoes: Preheat the oven to 375 degrees. In a large roasting pan, toss the potatoes with the olive oil and season with salt and pepper. Spread the potatoes evenly in the pan. Roast until the potatoes are golden, about 10-15 minutes.

2. Season the salmon: While the potatoes are cooking, in a small bowl, stir together the Dijon and dry mustards. Coat one side of the salmon fillets with the mustard mixture, then sprinkle evenly with the panko, gently pressing to adhere.

3. Bake the salmon: Arrange the fillets in the pan, breaded sided up, next to potatoes. Bake until the fillets are barely opaque, and the topping is golden brown, and the potatoes are tender, 15-18 minutes. Arrange the salmon fillets alongside the potatoes on a platter, sprinkle with parsley, and serve.

(4 servings)

***I only used 2 salmon fillets. I, not thinking, made a full batch of the mustard spread, and put all of it (4 servings worth) on just 2 fillets. The mustard was a bit too overwhelming, so we took off some of the topping. Next time, I will spread just a thin layer of the mustard on the salmon and top with the breadcrumbs.
***I served the salmon and potatoes with roasted asparagus.