THURSDAY
Lobster Roll-Style Salmon Sandwiches | Oven-Baked Potato Chips
This is one of those dinners that happens along every once in a while and which leaves you so much extra time because 90% of the preparations have been done ahead {well, maybe I planned it this way}…in any event, I am so happy to have such an easy dinner. I was working on a home DIY project all day {if it turns out I will share, if not, I will craft a magnificent tale to tell you}. Max had a basketball game today {63-24…Go DM Dragons!} and we got home around 6:00pm. Michael’s ferry got in at 6:45pm…can I finish dinner in 45 minutes? Let’s see…
As for the Lobster Roll-Style Salmon Sandwiches, I had every intention of following that original recipe but I was using left-over roasted salmon from last night’s Roast Side of Salmon with Mustard, Tarragon & Chive Sauce and the sauce that covered that salmon was so wonderful that I decided to go off on my own…
I flaked the remaining, left-over salmon {it was about 5 cups worth}, finely chopped 5 inner celery ribs {with leaves} as well as 3 tablespoons of flat leaf parsley and combined all in a mixing bowl…
Since the salmon last night was roasted with a cream sauce I added only 1 tablespoon of the remaining sauce to tonight’s salad to get the consistency I wanted {not drowning in dressing}. Since last night’s sauce had plenty of fresh lemon juice I served the sandwiches with a wedge of fresh lemon {instead of adding the lemon juice into the salad directly}…that way everyone can season to taste.
For the rolls, the original recipe called for hot dog rolls. But hot dog rolls look, well…like hot dog rolls. I know the idea was to achieve a salmon version of that spectacular New England Lobster Roll, the seafood roll of my childhood days at the beach...
Yes, that is the one. But a regular hot dog roll is not going to cut it for me. I live in California {and before that Texas} and I haven’t been able to buy split-top rolls since I left New England over 17 years ago! Why is that? Why do split-top rolls only exist on the East Coast? In any event, I chose soft, french sandwich rolls for tonight’s dinner. These rolls butter and toast well {almost as good as…well, you know}…
I had prepared the salmon salad before I went to the basketball game, securely covered and put into the refrigerator. When I got home, I needed to prepare the Oven-Baked Potato Chips. To slice the 1 pound of Yukon Gold Potatoes, you can use a mandoline, but my deli slicer makes it a super-fast task…
Preheat the oven to 450°. Soak the potato slices in cold water for 5 minutes . Drain the slices and pat dry with paper towels {the potato slices curl after being soaked in the cold water}…
Transfer potatoes to two, rimmed baking sheets and toss each batch with 1 tablespoon of olive oil. Arrange slices, on each sheet, side-by-side, without overlapping. Season with salt & pepper. Bake for 10 minutes {I add a bit of extra time because we like our chips cut a bit thicker} or until the chips begin to turn a golden brown. As they brown, transfer chips to a baking sheet lined with paper towels.
To finish the sandwiches, split each roll and butter the interior, generously. Place, face down, in a pre-heated skillet {over medium heat} and toast until golden brown. Transfer grilled roll to a plate and fill with salmon salad. Serve with potato chips on the side. Enjoy! {By the way…we sat down to dinner at 7:05…twenty minutes after Michael’s ferry landed in Tiburon}
Apologies for the lack of photos for the tail-end of dinner. We returned home well after sunset and all natural light was gone…so no photos. I even struggled with the photos of the potato chips! Spring {and more light…maybe even a new camera} is on its way!!!
