A baked potato slathered with butter is great, but add hot-smoked fish, scallions and dill to that butter, and you get a potato that’s smoky, onion-y and fresh. The first step of the recipe will produce baked potatoes with chip-like skin and dried-out interior thirsty for that creamy addition. The recipe makes about 1 1/2 cups of fish butter, so you also can enjoy it on toast, hot rice or pasta, steamed vegetables, jammy eggs and so on.
Active time: 15 mins; Total time: 1 hour 10 min
Storage Notes: Refrigerate the fish butter for up to 7 days
Servings: 4 When you scale a recipe, keep in mind that cooking times and temperatures, pan sizes and seasonings may be affected, so adjust accordingly. Also, amounts listed in the directions will not reflect the changes made to ingredient amounts.
When you scale a recipe, keep in mind that cooking times and temperatures, pan sizes and seasonings may be affected, so adjust accordingly. Also, amounts listed in the directions will not reflect the changes made to ingredient amounts.
Tested size: 4 servings
Ingredients
- 4 large russet potatoes (2 pounds total), scrubbed
- 1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil
- Fine salt
- 1 stick (8 tablespoons) unsalted butter, softened
- 1 cup flaked, skin-off hot-smoked trout or salmon (from about 5 ounces fillets)
- 1/4 cup finely chopped fresh dill, plus more for serving
- 3 scallions, thinly sliced, plus more for serving
- Freshly ground black pepper
Directions
Position a rack in the middle of the oven and another one directly below, and preheat to 400 degrees.
Poke holes all over the potatoes with a fork. In a medium bowl, toss the potatoes with the oil and a pinch of salt. Place the potatoes directly on the oven rack, and set a large, rimmed baking sheet on the rack below to catch any drips; reserve the bowl. Roast for 1 hour or until the potatoes offer no resistance when a sharp paring knife is inserted into their centers.
Meanwhile, transfer the butter to the reserved bowl and use a spoon or fork to mash it. Add the fish, dill and scallions, and mash and stir to combine. Season to taste with pepper; the fish is quite salty, so you probably won’t need additional salt. You should have about 1 1/2 cups of fish butter.
When the potato is tender but still hot, carefully make an incision lengthwise, then push the ends in to crack it open. Using a fork, fluff the steamy interior, then add 1 to 2 tablespoons of the fish butter and mix to combine. Garnish with an additional bit of the butter, the dill and scallions and serve right away.
Recipe Source
From cookbook author Ali Slagle.
Tested by Ann Maloney.
Email questions to the Food Section at food@washpost.com.
