Fisherman's Pie

Ingredients:

Potato Topping

1 pound Yukon gold potatoes, washed and peeled and chopped

3 tablespoons butter

1/4 cup heavy cream, plus more as needed

1/2 cup grated gruyere cheese

Salt and pepper to taste

Smoked Salmon Filling

8oz Alaska Smokehouse Smoked Sockeye Salmon, skin removed and flaked, liquid reserved

1 yellow onion, chopped

1 parsnip, cleaned and peeled and chopped

1 carrot, cleaned and peeled and chopped

1 cup kale, cleaned and chopped

2 tablespoons butter

1 tablespoon vegetable oil

2 tablespoons flour

1 cup seafood stock (*Note - in place of seafood stock, you can take the liquid from the pouch of smoked salmon and add water to get a single cup of smoked salmon stock.)

1/2 cup heavy cream

1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg (optional)

Salt and Pepper to taste

Chives or Parsley for garnish, chopped

Procedure:

Bring a large pot of salted water to boil over high heat.

Add the potatoes to the pot.

Boil until tender, about 10 to 15 minutes.

Remove 1/4 cup of Potato liquid to set aside, then drain and transfer back to the pot.

Add butter and heavy cream and mash the potatoes using a potato masher.

Add more heavy cream as needed if the mashed potatoes are too thick.

Season with salt and pepper to taste.

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees.

In an oven proof skillet (optional), heat butter and oil over medium heat until butter is melted.

Add diced onion, parsnip, carrot, and kale.

Season with salt and pepper, then cook until tender, 5-10 minutes.

Once tender, stir in the flour and cook while stirring constantly for 2 minutes.

Deglaze the pan with the seafood stock (or smoked salmon stock) and heavy cream, by adding seafood stock and stirring the pan to bring up all of the stuck-on bits of food on the bottom and sides of the pan.

Once deglazed, stir constantly until sauce has started to thicken.  If the sauce seems loose, use the potato water and some cornstarch to make a slurry and thicken the sauce that way.  Only use a teaspoon of cornstarch at a time mixed with a tablespoon of potato water.

Add in the smoked salmon and stir to combine, then season with salt and pepper and nutmeg to taste.

Remove from heat.

If you don't have an oven safe skillet, transfer smoked salmon filling to a deep pie dish.

Take the potato mixture and place dollops of the mixture onto the smoked salmon filling.

Using a spatula or the back of a spoon, spread the potato mixture to the edges of the dish or skillet.

Sprinkle with grated gruyere cheese.

Place the pie in the oven and bake for 18-20 minutes.

Then, turn the broiler on and brown the topping for 3-4 more minutes, or until golden and bubbling.

Garnish with diced chives or parsley.

Allow pie to rest for 10 minutes before serving.

Substitutions:

You can easily substitute a prepackaged 20oz pack of mashed potatoes in place of homemade.  

The vegetables are optional, too.  You can sub in celery, corn, spinach, broccoli or whatever vegetable you want.