This is a lovely brunch or lunch dish, perhaps served with something green on the side. I know that in the US in particular,  during the first part of the day people like to serve fruit with this type of thing but for what it’s worth, I don’t. Keep the fruit garnishes for your stack of pancakes.

It’s also a great way to stretch small quantities of smoked salmon and fresh wild salmon between 4-6 people, depending on how hungry they are.

You can prepare the whole thing up to 24 hrs ahead – just cover and refrigerate but bring it to room temperature before putting it in the oven for 30 mins.

You could make this entirely with smoked salmon if you’re feeling luxurious; just quadruple the quantity.

Salmon & Potato Cake

SALMON & POTATO CAKE

(Serves 4-6)

Ingredients:

4 medium-sized baking potatoes, peeled and sliced very thinly

1 pint (475ml) of whole milk

3 eggs, lightly beaten

2-3 oz (56-85g) of smoked salmon, cut into thin strips

2 fillets of fresh wild-caught salmon (approx 8 oz / 230g total weight), skinned and cut into 1.5 inch (4cm) chunks

1 teaspoon of finely grated lemon zest

2 tablespoons of chopped fresh dill with some extra for a garnish

Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper

Action:

Bring the milk to a boil and drop in the sliced potatoes. Simmer for about 5 minutes or until the slices are tender, stirring gently from time to time to prevent sticking. Transfer the potatoes to a bowl with a slotted spoon and reserve 1 and 1/4 cups (300ml) of the milk (you can discard the rest or use for something else).

Allow the milk and potatoes to cool to room temperature. Fold all of the salmon into the potatoes, along with the dill, lemon zest and a good grind of black pepper – add sea salt to taste. Transfer everything to a buttered, shallow ovenproof baking dish.

Whisk the eggs into the cooled milk then pour it over the salmon and potato mixture. (It can be made ahead to this point – cover and chill but return to room temp before baking).

When you’re ready to bake, preheat the oven to 400F/200C and bake for 30 minutes or until the top is slightly golden.

Scatter the remaining dill over and serve hot or warm with some lemon wedges on the side.