Sheet Pan Roasted Potatoes and Honey Garlic Salmon

We’ve spent the last two weekends working hard in our yard. I admit, I’ve been avoiding the inevitable for a little while, knowing the monstrosity of the project. We lost a couple trees to the winter and I didn’t do a great job prepping the yard for winter which just made the clean-up that much more daunting. And, of course, the weeds are already growing. Seriously, how is that the trees haven’t bloomed yet and the grass is still waking up, but the weeds are already happily growing?

Anyway, long story short, we had the whole family out working and while the yard is in much better shape, our backs are sore. The kids pitched in too, after being offered cold hard cash for their efforts. They mostly stood close by asking how much money they were earning and complaining how tired they were every two to three minutes.

I’m sure you can relate. You’re probably doing some version of the same thing at your house. By the time we got to Sunday evening and finally scrubbed the dirt from our arms, a good dinner felt necessary. But because we were a little tired and definitely a little cranky, dinner needed to be easy.

I grabbed some frozen salmon from the freezer and ran it under cold water in the sink (still in the package) until it thawed. I quickly cut up some baby red potatoes and set about assembling a sheet pan dinner that literally took 15 minutes to prep, 30 minutes to cook and everyone gobbled it right up. You can make this recipe in the oven or on the barbecue, just keep a close eye regardless because salmon cooks quickly.

Sheet Pan Roasted Potatoes and Honey Garlic Salmon

·         1 pound red potatoes, quartered

·         1.5-2 pounds wild Alaskan salmon fillets

·         3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil, divided

·         2 cloves garlic, minced

·         Honey

·         2 teaspoons smoked paprika

·         1 teaspoon Italian seasoning

·         Pinch of cayenne pepper

·         Zest and juice of 1 lemon

·         Fresh basil leaves, chopped (optional)

·         Kosher salt and black pepper

Preheat oven to 400 degrees or set barbecue to medium heat. Lay salmon on a piece of parchment paper. Drizzle each fillet with 1 tablespoon olive oil. Drizzle honey lightly over each fillet. Divide garlic, smoked paprika, Italian seasoning and cayenne pepper evenly among the salmon fillets. Lightly salt and pepper the fish. Using a small spatula or your fingers, massage the ingredients into the fish. Set salmon aside while you prep the potatoes.

Wash and quarter red potatoes. Spread evenly on a baking sheet. Drizzle with remaining 2 tablespoons olive oil. Generously salt and pepper the potatoes and toss well to evenly coat. Bake the potatoes in the oven or put them on the barbecue to cook for about 15 minutes, occasionally checking them and using a wooden spoon to turn them so they brown evenly.

Remove the potatoes from the oven (the potatoes won’t be fully-cooked yet) and add the salmon fillets to the baking sheet. Garnish the entire tray with lemon zest and the chopped fresh basil. Squeeze lemon juice over the salmon fillets. Cut the used lemon into rounds and place them on the salmon. Return the tray to the oven or barbecue and cook for an additional 10 to 15 minutes depending on your preference. The salmon is cooked through when the flesh easily flakes with a fork. Enjoy!

Recipe makes 4-5 servings