Favourite Things for the Cusp of Spring

Smoked trout and roasted potato salad; piles of shaved fennel and my LEMON LABNE CAKE

Mar 19, 2024

The weather is slowly shifting and the rollercoaster of emergent spring weather is in full swing. Today there are flurries of snow, but last last week there was sun and warmth enough to coax the yellow of the daffodils and forsythia out from hiding.

My preference for food is following the same pattern, feeling the need for light salads to hearty stews in a single day. This smoked trout salad with roasted potatoes and a creamy, dilly dressing is a great go-to for this in-between weather- light and hearty at the same time. Smoked fish always reminds me of summers in Northern Michigan and I am more than happy to be channeling that energy right now!

The dressing amount given below makes more than what you need for the salad. I like to have dressing stocked in my fridge to use throughout the week on my ‘kitchen sink’ lunch salads (where I throw any bits and pieces I have lying around together in a bowl). I used this one on a salad with chickpeas that had been tossed in a pan with turmeric and black pepper as well as roasted sweet potato, cabbage, herbs, a few pine nuts. Delicious. It’s also really good to use if you are making a smoked fish platter, such as the one pictured here, with a pile of shaved fennel, capers, onion and good bread. A good easy spread with minimal actual cooking involved.

For all the things my kids will not eat, they will both eat a mountain of shaved raw fennel, so we have been having plenty of it lately. Using a mandolin, shave a bulb of fennel as finely as you can. Sprinkle sparingly with salt and give a small squeeze of lemon before tossing in good olive oil. Some shavings of parm take it to another level and a few capers or herbs such as parsley, chives, mint or dill are excellent additions too. It’s the perfect accompaniment for a smoked fish platter.

I come from a long tradition of dessert lovers. We are a people who will happy eat only salad for dinner if it means we can have an extra helping of dessert. And so, while I think I have published ample cake recipes of late, there can always be more! This is a favourite lemon cake, I would maybe describe it as ‘a flirty lemon cake’ because it flirts with lemony goodness without being too intense- it has some vanilla to round it and a splash of olive oil for a little fruit. This is one of the few cakes that I actually ice, though it doesn’t need it- a sprinkle of icing sugar is perfectly nice- but it is really fun with a nice thick layer of vanilla-y buttercream. This is a great cake for this time of the year when there is not too much in the way of fresh fruit around.

Smoked Trout and Roasted Potato Salad with Dilly Sour Cream Dressing

serves 2-4.

I say 6-8 potatoes because I have a tendency to eat half them before they make it into the salad, you can do with less if you are less of a vacuum cleaner for potatoes.

Dressing:

1/2 c sour cream

1 clove garlic, microplaned or crushed to a pulp

Zest 1/2 lemon

Juice 1/2 lemon (or a couple of tablespoons of white or red wine vinegar)

salt and pepper

1.5 T finely chopped dill

11/2 T olive oil

1 tsp seeded mustard or Dijon (optional)

Combine all dressing ingredients together in a bowl and taste. Adjust seasoning as needed.

Salad:

olive oil

salt

6-8 yellow potatoes, cut into chunks

1 fillet of smoked trout or other smoked fish of your choice, skin removed and roughly broken into bite-sized pieces.

Parsley, a good handful, leaves only (always Italian unless I specify otherwise, which is basically never)

Red onion, a small piece, thinly sliced into crescent moons

Fennel, half a bulb, sliced a finely as possible- a mandolin is best for this

Romaine lettuce, about half a large one (gem lettuce is a good substitute), leaves separated and torn into pieces

2-4 boiled eggs, peeled and halved (see below) (optional)

Preheat the oven to 400F (200C)
Toss the potatoes in a little olive oil with a good pinch of salt and lay on a roasting tray, leaving enough space between them for air to circulate to they will steam rather rather roast. Roast for 20-30 minutes until cooked and starting to brown. remove from the oven and allow to cool to room temperature.
Assemble the salad: place all of the salad ingredients together in a bowl, including the potatoes, and spoon over a couple of tablespoons of dressing. Give everything a gentle mix- the lighter the touch the better when it comes to mixing salads- and add a touch more dressing if needed. Pile everything onto a plate and top with halved boiled eggs if using, and a good crack of black pepper!
Boiled Eggs:
Fill a pot just large enough to hold your eggs with water and put it onto the boil. Put the eggs into the pot and as soon as it comes to the boil, turn down the heat to a gentle simmer and set the timer for 71/2 minutes for a jammy egg (8 if you like them a little more done). As soon as the timer goes off remove from the water and plunge into an ice bath or rinse under very cold running water until cool. This ice plunge method should make them relatively easy to peel. (If your eggs are room temp you can drop them into the water once it has come to a boil if you prefer, in which case add 30 seconds to the cook time).

Lemon Labne Cake

2 cups flour (270g)

2 tsp baking powder

pinch salt

zest 2 lemons

150g butter, softened

1 1/4c sugar

3 eggs, lightly beaten

1/3 cup olive oil

1/2 cup labne or plain greek yogurt

Scant 1/3 c lemon juice (about 1 1/2 lemons)

1 tsp vanilla extract

Buttercream

1 stick butter (115g), softened

1 C powdered sugar

1 tsp vanilla extract

squeeze lemon juice