Salmon and Potato Salad with Horseradish Dressing

A creamy and herby horseradish dressing compliments the other ingredients in this salmon and potato salad, elevating it to a new level of deliciousness.

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Every Christmas my husband begs me to make some beet-cured salmon that is served with a creamy horseradish dip. And every year, throughout the whole of January, I wonder what I can do with the large chunk of horseradish that is invariably left over.

Determined to cut my food waste this year I decided to tackle the problem head-on by coming up with a handful of horseradish recipes of my own.

First up is this salmon and potato salad with horseradish dressing. Serve it warm or cold, either way the combination of delicate salmon, waxy potatoes and fresh greens with the accompanying dill and horseradish salad dressing is hard to beat for a wintery plate.

Before I go head-long into the details of this salmon & potato salad, I'm going to talk more about horseradish, since it's a less common ingredient I'd like to put in the spotlight.

What is Horseradish?

Horseradish is a root vegetable that is part of the Brassicaceae family alongside mustard, wasabi, broccoli, cabbage, and radish. It is believed to have originated in Eastern Europe.

When using fresh horseradish it is usual to peel and finely grate it before adding to a recipe. Once peeled, horseradish will deteriorate within a few hours, darkening and turning bitter. For this reason, it is sensible to prepare only what is needed for your recipe. The rest can be wrapped and stored in the fridge for several weeks.

Sometimes recipes call for prepared horseradish which is the grated root of the horseradish plant mixed with vinegar, salt and sugar. This preparation can be stored for several months in the fridge, but it will eventually darken and loose flavour.

The creamy dill and horseradish salad dressing I'm presenting today calls for fresh horseradish.

What Does Horseradish Taste Like?

Horseradish root possesses a strong flavor, commonly described as hot, spicy and peppery. Its taste is often likened to wasabi, which is exactly how I would describe the flavour.

Because of its potency, horseradish is typically used as a spice to add a burst of hot flavour to a dish or prepared as a condiment to serve alongside a meal.

What Ingredients go into Salmon and Potato Salad?

You'll be pleased to hear that, aside from the leftover horseradish, the ingredients for this salad are easy to find and require next to no skill in the kitchen at all:

• salmon
• potatoes
• peas (fresh or frozen)
• lambs lettuce
• dill
• crème fraîche (half fat is fine)
• lemon

We all need recipes like this.

To make the salad:

• cook the salmon, potatoes and peas. I like to microwave my salmon with just a squirt of lemon juice and a grind of black pepper in a dedicated fish steaming dish. These ingredients can either be left to cool completely or served warm.
• it takes minutes to make the horseradish dressing - just mix the grated horseradish with Dijon mustard, crème fraîche, dill and lemon juice
• when ready to serve, pile the salad ingredients onto plates and dollop a few spoonfuls of dressing over the top.

I've kept the dressing relatively thick, but a drop of water can be added to thin it down if preferred.

Other Ideas for What to do with Leftover Horseradish

Since horseradish has such a powerful flavour, a little goes a long way. The chances are, you'll still have plenty of it left after making this salad. Take a look through this list of recipes for a little inspiration on how else to use it up:

• make your own horseradish sauce to accompany your Sunday Roast Beef and Yorkshire pudding (sigh)
• go for a fancy main with seared mackerel, beetroot and horseradish
• make some comforting celeriac & horseradish soup
• whip up some smoked trout & horseradish pate
• make a veggie feast with puy lentils, roasted tomatoes and horseradish

And I'll be publishing recipes for beef & horseradish pasties and a beetroot & horseradish soup very soon. Don't forget to come back and pick them up or, better still, sign up for my email updates so you don't miss out.

Find More Salad Recipes:

• Goats cheese & cherry salad
• Beetroot & caper salad
• Zucchini Basil Salad
• Roast carrot & lentil salad with dukkah
• Kale & sprout salad with soft boiled egg

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