SALMON BRANDADE

Makes 6 to 8 servings

I created this dish out of a longing for traditional brandade but a reluctance

to make it. A blend of very creamy mashed potatoes and salt cod, brandade is

rich, filling and deeply satisfying — but not the kind of dish I’d do at home.

Salt cod needs to be soaked in several changes of water over several hours or

even days before you can start cooking it — and I rarely plan that far in

advance.

My version keeps everything that I love about brandade but swaps

smoked salmon for the salt cod. The milk and smoked salmon are boiled

together, left to steep and then used to make the mashed potatoes. I’ve also

channeled the goodness of shepherd’s pie and added a surprise underlayer, a

mix of quickly cooked fresh salmon, onions, herbs and more smoked

salmon. This brandade celebrates everything that’s warm and comforting

about the original while adding a touch of luxe — it’s brandade for dinner

parties. Serve with a salad and white wine. Maybe even Champagne.

a word on the smoked salmon

This is not the time to buy the most expensive smoked salmon you can find;

this is the time for scraps and ends. Since you’ll be chopping the salmon to

bits and then cooking it, it needn’t come from the coveted center of the

salmon or be hand-sliced by a master.

1½ cups (360 ml) whole milk

½ pound (227 grams) smoked salmon (see headnote), finely chopped

2 to 2¼ pounds (1 to 1¼ kg) Yukon Gold potatoes, peeled and cut into medium chunks

Kosher salt

3 tablespoons unsalted butter, cut into 6 pieces, plus ½ tablespoon cold butter

Fine sea salt and freshly ground pepper

1½ tablespoons olive oil

1 large onion, finely chopped, rinsed and patted dry

2 garlic cloves, germ removed (see sidebar) and minced

6 to 8 ounces (170 to 227 grams) skinless salmon fillet, cut into small cubes

¼ cup (60 ml) white wine or dry vermouth

2 to 3 tablespoons minced mixed fresh herbs, such as dill, chives, parsley and/or

tarragon

Plain dry bread crumbs, for finishing

WOR K I NG A H E A D

You can make the salmon mashed potatoes up to 1 day ahead and keep them covered

in the refrigerator. You can even assemble the brandade and hold it covered in the

fridge for a day.

Bring the milk just to a boil in a medium saucepan. Stir in half of the smoked

salmon, turn off the heat and let steep while you make the potatoes.

Put the potatoes in a tall pot (I use a pasta cooker for this — it makes

draining easy), cover generously with cold water, salt the water copiously

with kosher salt and bring to a boil. Cook the potatoes until they’re so tender

that you can easily crush them against the side of the pot with a fork, 15 to 20

minutes. Drain well.

The potatoes must be mashed, a job best (and most elegantly) done with a

food mill or ricer, which produces fluffier potatoes than you get with a fork

or masher. Mash them in a large bowl and then, using a spatula or wooden

spoon, stir in the salmon-milk mixture, followed by the 6 pieces of butter.

The potatoes will be softer and looser than you might be used to. Season

with sea salt and pepper. Press a piece of plastic wrap against the surface of

the potatoes and set aside while you make the onion-salmon base. (You can

cover the potatoes and refrigerate them overnight.)

Center a rack in the oven and preheat it to 350 degrees F. Butter a 9-inch

pie plate or gratin pan (preferably one that’s not metal) and place it on a

baking sheet lined with parchment paper.

Warm the olive oil in a large skillet over medium-low heat. Toss in the

onion and garlic and cook, stirring, until the onion is soft and translucent,

about 10 minutes. Season with sea salt and pepper — go light on the salt —

and stir in the cubed fresh salmon. Increase the heat to medium-high and

cook, stirring, for 1 to 2 minutes. Add the wine or vermouth and cook,

stirring, until the wine almost evaporates, then remove the pan from the

heat and stir in the herbs and the remaining smoked salmon. Taste for salt

and pepper and scrape the mixture into the buttered pan. Top with the

mashed potatoes, spreading them all the way to the edges of the pan. Dot

with bits of the cold butter and sprinkle over the bread crumbs. (At this

point, you can cover the dish and refrigerate it for as long as 1 day.)

Bake for about 30 minutes, or until the potatoes are hot all the way

through (poke a knife into them and then touch the knife to test for heat),

the juices from the onion and salmon are bubbling and the top is golden

brown. If you want more color, you can run the brandade under the broiler.

Serve immediately — brandade is meant to be so hot that you’ve got to

blow on every forkful.

S TO R I N G : The brandade is best as soon as it’s made, but if you’ve got

leftovers, they’ll be good reheated the next day.