Leftover salmon finds restaurant

I should start by saying something affirming like, "With a little planning, one can make a delicious, restaurant style meal out of leftovers." But that wouldn't be very truthful.

I developed this recipe in a moment of blind panic, grasping whatever we had in the fridge to make something "nice." A bizarre twist of refrigerator fate left our holiday chicken completely frozen solid, scuppering any plans I had for an easy, festive roasted meal. A deep breath and a little luck by way of a husband who roasted way too much salmon the night before, brought me to the conclusion that many a home cook has reached in a fluster — BREADCRUMBS, breadcrumbs can turn this meal around. And it worked!

With a decadent crunch and a luxurious creaminess from the mashed potatoes, you'll feel like you took that leftover salmon and chefed it up a bit. Serve over a generous bed of barely sauteed spinach or salad greens with a drizzle of sauce and perhaps some candlelight and a nice glass of something.

Makes 10 large cakes or many more smaller ones.

For the cakes:

2 c. mashed potatoes

2 tbs. grated onion

1 clove garlic

1 tsp. dried dill

1 tsp. salt

1 c. panko or coarse breadcrumbs

2 eggs

8-10 ounces cooked salmon

To finish:

1- 1 1/2 c. panko

1 - 1 1/2 c. flour

1 egg mixed with about 1/2 c. milk

olive oil

For the butter sauce:

2 tbls. flour

1 tsp. dried dill

1 tsp. salt

1/8 tsp. white or black pepper

2/3 c. milk

8 tbls. unsalted butter

2 tbls. lemon juice

Directions

Notes:

Anne Willhoit is an educator, community volunteer, and enthusiastic baker who likes to create recipes that use from-scratch techniques and are inspired by local, seasonal ingredients. Find her on Instagram at @aawillhoit or drop her an inquiry at [email protected].