It appears on your plate wrapped up like a present. But there's more to this dish than pretty presentation. When you bake salmon, potatoes, and fresh herb-sprinkled vegetables in parchment paper, something magical happens. Nestled in the package, the ingredients cook in their own juices. And when you snip the papillote open, dinner reveals itself in a cloud of aromatic steam.
Active time: 1 hr Start to finish: 1 1/4 hr
•If your parchment paper is less than 15 inches wide, crisscross 8 (15-inch-long) sheets to approximate 4 (15-inch) squares.
•Foil can be substituted for parchment. Crimp edges tightly to close; do not tie.
Recipe information
Total Time
1 1/4 hr
Yield
Makes 4 servings
Ingredients
Special Equipment
Preparation
Step 1
Place a large baking sheet on bottom rack of oven and remove any other racks. Preheat oven to 400°F.
Step 2
Halve fennel bulb lengthwise. Remove most of core, leaving enough intact to keep layers together when sliced.
Step 3
Using manual slicer, cut fennel bulb (lengthwise), carrots (diagonally), and potatoes into 1/8-inch-thick slices, keeping vegetables separate.
Step 4
Blanch vegetables, separately, in salted boiling water: fennel 2 minutes, carrots 1 minute, potatoes 2 minutes. Transfer fennel and carrots with a slotted spoon to a bowl of ice water, then drain well. Drain potatoes.
Step 5
Toss fennel and carrots with olives, zest, thyme, half of garlic, 2 tablespoons olive oil, and salt and pepper to taste.
Step 6
Toss potatoes with remaining oil and garlic and salt and pepper to taste.
Step 7
Divide potato mixture among centers of parchment squares. Season salmon with salt and pepper and place on top of potatoes, then top salmon with fennel mixture.
Step 8
Gather sides of parchment up over fennel mixture to form a pouch, leaving no openings, and tie tightly with string. 3Place packages directly on hot baking sheet in oven and cook 20 minutes. Serve immediately.
