Big Man, Little Kitchen

It is good to be home and back to the Traeger! Salmon smoked on a cedar plank is the best! Easy to cook and sooooo tasty. Tonight I added a lemon dill aioli to top the filet and it was a winner. Glad I wrote down the ingredients.

For the salmon – Soak a cedar plank for at least 2 hours before grilling. When ready to cook, preheat your grill to 350 degrees. Place the plank on the grates and let it heat up for about 10 minutes, to get it smoking. Mean while, season the salmon with olive oil, salt and pepper. Top with some lemon slices then place on the plank. Grill for 25-30 minutes, until the fish flakes easily with a fork.

For the aioli –

• 1/2 cup mayonnaise
• juice from 1/2 lemon
• 2 T fresh dill
• 1 t salt
• 1 t pepper
• 1/8 t cayenne pepper
• 1/4 cup red onion, diced

Combine all ingredients and mix well. Chill until ready to use.

I made up a batch of mashed potatoes to go along side the salmon for a back to basics meal. Top the salmon and potatoes with the aioli sauce and enjoy!!!

With Kris out of town on business it was time for a man meal! What better for that then steak and potatoes? I stopped by the store on the way home and picked up a grass fed KC strip. Had the potatoes at home along with some fresh tomatoes and cooked up an excellent meal.

For the steak – Take the steak out of the fridge and let rest for 30 minutes at room temp before grilling. I add some olive oil, salt and pepper for the flavor. Grill on high heat 6 minutes per side for medium rare (the only way to eat steak).

For the taters – Slice and toss on to some foil, add some onion, a couple tablespoons of butter and seasonings. I used Louisiana Cajun Seasoning. Seal tightly in the foil and grill for about 30 minutes, turning once.When it is done, remove the steak from the grill and let rest on the platter for 10 minutes before cutting into. Remove the taters from the foil and plate up! I also had the fresh tomatoes topped with mozzarella cheese and balsamic vinegar. Enjoy!

Saturday was hot and humid here, 95 degrees with a lot of sun. So what to do? How about a 17 mile bike ride followed by 18 holes of golf! This was a great, fun day but we were a bit tired after that so wanted a simple yet tasty supper. We stopped by the store and grabbed a flank steak, potatoes and sweet corn. Easy and good.

For the flank steak – season with olive oil, salt and pepper and grill for 8 minutes a side over high heat.

For the sweet corn – this takes the same amount of time as the steak, so simple to cook on the grill at the same time. Just put the ears on the grate and grill for 15 minutes or so and pull of with the steak.

The mashed potatoes are also simple and quick. Peel and slice the potatoes, place into cold salted water and bring to a boil. In the meantime heat some heavy cream, butter and cheddar cheese in a small sauce pan. I like to heat this up instead of placing cold ingredients into the freshly mashed taters. When the taters are soft, drain and toss in a bowl. Add heated cream mixture and mash up. And there you have an easy summertime meal. Enjoy!!

If you have been lucky enough to have someone bring you some smoked salmon during the holidays, you know how good it is. The price tag is what keeps me from buying it more often so I decided to smoke some myself on the Traeger. A big fillet of salmon from Costco is inexpensive and always tasty so I bought one over the weekend. Let me tell you, this turned out great! Served it with some cream cheese and gluten free crackers and it was a hit.First, slice the fillet into equal size pieces. Now you will need to cure it for at least 8 hours or over night. The cure consists of 2 cups brown sugar, 1/2 cup kosher salt and about 1 tablespoon of fresh ground pepper.Get a glass baking dish and spread some of the cure on the bottom. Top with the salmon and then cover with more of the mixture. Place the remaining 2 fillets on top and cover with the rest of the cure. Cover tightly with plastic wrap and put in the fridge.After curing overnight, pull the salmon out of the fridge. You can see how the moisture was drawn out of the fillets. Rinse with cold water and place on a greased rack. Now you need to let the fillets sit out at room temp for 2 hours before smoking.

I smoked these on the Traeger for 2 hours at a temp between 150 and 170 degrees. I let them cool and put them in the fridge to chill before serving. I like my smoked salmon cold but you can also eat it right away. It will keep for about 7 days but I can let you know it did not last that long in our household. Enjoy!!

With our friend Kate still out on vacation, we were able to pick up another round of fresh CSA veggies. A nice haul for this week. Tonight we used up the corn, some green onions and tomatoes. Add a grilled chicken breast and a tasty meal. For the corn I grilled it for about 15 minutes (turning frequently) at 400 degrees on the Traeger. The chicken went on first and cooked for about 30 minutes.

We just sliced the tomatoes, topped with fresh mozzarella and aged balsamic vinegar – so good! Cheers!