Batch cooking for baby: Salmon and Dill Potato Bake

We're expecting a baby in August. We're also having our kitchen completely redesigned and re-fitted. All of this upheaval, not surprisingly, turns my mind to meals. I'm quite good at meal planning now, but I also know how invaluable it can be to have something convenient stashed away in the freezer, ready either to be cooked from frozen, or defrosted without any additional preparation needed.

I've done a fair amount of cooking now, and the freezer is gradually being stocked up. So I thought I'd collect some of these recipes together.

This was adapted from a recipe from deliciousmagazine.co.uk, and the first batch was absolutely delicious.

Salmon and Dill Potato Bake


Ingredients:

4 skinless salmon fillets
600g potatoes
200g baby spinach
1 onion
1 lemon
50g butter
50g flour
500ml semi-skimmed milk
15g dill

Method


Peel and slice the potatoes. Put them in a large saucepan of cold water and bring to the boil. Allow to boil for 10 minutes. Drain and set to one side.

Chop the salmon fillets into small chunks. Chop the onion, and combine in a bowl with the salmon. Wilt the spinach, by pouring boiling water over a colander full of the spinach. Drain well, and add to the salmon and onion. Zest and juice the lemon and add to the salmon mixture.

Make a white sauce, by melting the butter and then whisk in the flour. Cook for one minute, stirring well. Gradually add the milk a little at a time. Bring to the boil, whisking, and allow the sauce to thicken. When the sauce has thickened, add the dill, finely chopped.

Pour the sauce over the salmon mixture and stir gently to combine. Transfer to an ovenproof dish - I used the foil take-away style dishes from the supermarket.

Layer the potatoes on top of the salmon mixture. You can freeze the dish at this point. To cook, make sure the bake is thoroughly defrosted, and dot the potatoes with butter. Bake in a preheated oven at 200C, for 45 minutes, or until piping hot throughout.