Recipe: Celery Root and Asian Pear Salad

the appetizer:

Cooking from the Hip by Cat Cora includes quick and easy recipes like Celery Root and Asian Pear Salad, Salmon-Topped Hash, and Cherry Clafouti.

Salmon-Topped Hash

Serves 4

We eat a lot of salmon (I like feeding my entire family constant hits of omega- 3), so I generally cook extra fillets when I grill. Making hash with salmon during the week is easy. You can heat up a fillet that was grilled earlier or use a fresh fillet. If you have a fresh seared fillet, don't break it up but gently set it on top of the hash. (See page 76 of the book for more hash tips.)

4 medium Yukon Gold potatoes, parboiled
1 red bell pepper
2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
1 tablespoon unsalted butter
1 medium red onion, chopped
1 teaspoon minced fresh tarragon
2 teaspoons drained capers
1 teaspoon kosher salt, plus more if desired
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper, plus more if desired
1 cup cubed, cooked skinned salmon
2 tablespoons crème fraîche, homemade (page 239)
or store-bought, or sour cream
1 scallion, chopped, for garnish

Slip off the skins of the potatoes, grate them, and set aside.

Cut the bell pepper in half, remove the core, scrape out the seeds, and cut off any white membranes inside. Cut the pepper into neat squares.

In a large cast-iron skillet, heat the oil and butter on medium-high heat. Add the bell pepper and cook until tender and lightly browned, stirring frequently, 5 to 6 minutes. Add the onion and cook, stirring occasionally, until lightly browned, 3 to 4 minutes. Add the potatoes, tarragon, capers, salt, and pepper.

Using a spatula, press down on the mixture to crisp the potatoes and cook for about 4 minutes, then flip the hash over to cook the other side. Taste and add more salt and pepper, if you like. Slide onto a serving platter and spoon on the cubed salmon. (If using cold leftover salmon, heat it in the microwave for 20 seconds.) Top with the creme fraiche and scallion. Serve immediately.

Cat's Note: If you're using raw salmon, pre-heat the oven to 200 degrees F. Heat the olive oil and butter in the skillet over medium-high heat. Brown the salmon lightly on all sides, then transfer it to an ovenproof plate and keep it warm in the oven while you use the same skillet (you don't need to clean it) to make the rest of the hash. Place the salmon over the hash just before serving and top with the crème fraîche and scallion.