Whole Roasted Salmon with Christmas Glaze, Sautéed Leeks and Potatoes

The Martha Stewart Living Christmas Cookbook
by Martha Stewart Living Magazine

Since Martha Stewart Living Magazine's debut more than a decade ago, readers have come to look to its holiday issues for the best seasonal entertaining and menu ideas. Each issue of Living has included Martha's favorite recipes, as well as the staff's. For the first time, more than six hundred of these holiday dishes are collected in one volume: The Martha Stewart Living Christmas Cookbook.

Throughout the ten chapters of recipes, every element of holiday entertaining-from hors d'oedvres and cocktails through main courses and desserts-is covered. Whether you're searching for an eggnog to sip on Christmas Eve, planning to serve a traditional roast goose for Christmas dinner, or putting together a festive brunch for overnight guests, The Martha Stewart Living Christmas Cookbook offers a comprehensive array of classics and new favorites to choose from. Guiding you are how-to photographs and illustrations, along with sixty-four pages of beautiful color photographs that will inspire even novices to get into the kitchen and start cooking. The book is filled with tips and techniques, and it also includes a special menu section to help you create the perfect meal.

This collection of recipes-ranging from simple to extravagant-makes an indispensable cookbook, not just for Christmas Day, but for the entire holiday season.

Whole Roasted Salmon with Christmas Glaze

Serves 8 to 10

1 whole salmon (6 to 8 pounds), scaled and cleans, head and tail on
Coarse salt and freshly ground pepper
6 sprigs rosemary
3 tablespoons sugar
¼ cup plus 3 tablespoons rice vinegar
1 tablespoon grated fresh ginger
1 ¼ cups clam juice
Pinch of ground allspice
Pinch of ground cloves
Pinch of ground nutmeg
1 ½ tablespoons arrowroot or 2 tablespoons cornstarch
Sautéed Leeks and Potatoes (page 261)
10 lady apples, for garnish

1. Preheat oven to 450°F. Rinse salmon well. Using a sharp knife, trim 2 inches of flesh from each side of the fish belly; discard. Cut crisscross marks 2 ½ inches apart on both sides of the salmon, deep enough to go through the skin.

2. Season salmon liberally inside and out with salt and pepper, and fill cavity with rosemary sprigs. Transfer salmon to a 16 ½-by 12-inch roasting pan, standing it up on its belly and curving it to fit in the pan. Place pan in oven.

3. Heat sugar in a small saucepan over medium-low heat, stirring it several times, until melted and golden, about 5 minutes. Stir in vinegar and ginger; cook until reduced by half, 2 to 3 minutes. Add clam juice and spices, and bring to a boil. Reduce heat, and simmer a few minutes. Combine arrowroot or cornstarch with 1 tablespoon water in a small bowl; mix to dissolve. Stir into glaze. Cook, stirring constantly, until the glaze is thick and syrupy, about 1 minute.

4. When the salmon begins to brown (after 20 to 25 minutes), reduce oven temperature to 375°F. Brush salmon liberally on all sides with glaze. Continue brushing every 5 minutes until fish is cooked through; salmn should feel firm when touched at its thickest point. Total cooking time should be about 35 to 45 minutes.

5. Remove salmon from oven; let rest 5 minutes. Arrange potatoes and leeks on a serving platter. Using 2 spatulas, place salmon on top of vegetables. Garnish platter with lady apples.

Sautéed Leeks and Potatoes

Serves 8

2 pounds (about 6) Yukon Gold potatoes
3 tablespoons unsalted butter
8 leeks, white and pale-green parts only, sliced into ¼-inch rounds and washed well
Coarse salt and freshly ground pepper

1. Place potatoes in a large saucepan; cover with cold water, and bring to a boil. Reduce heat, and simmer until just tender when pierced with a fork, 15 to 20 minutes. Drain, and set aside to cool.

2. Melt butter in a large sauté pan over low heat. Add leeks; cook, partially covered, until soft and translucent, about 20 minutes.

3. Slice potatoes into 1/3-inch rounds, and add to leeks. Season with salt and pepper; cook, covered, until potatoes are heated through, about 5 minutes. Serve immediately.

Copyright © 2003 by editors of Martha Stewart Living. Excerpted by permission of Clarkson Potter, a division of Random House, Inc. All rights reserved. No part of this excerpt may be reproduced or reprinted without permission in writing from the publisher.

About the Author

Martha Stewart Living Magazine was first published in 1990. Over the years, more than two dozen books have been published by the magazine's editors.