Holiday Meal: Seared Salmon & Sweet Potato Salad

This post is sponsored by Blue Apron.

We’re one full week into December, and every time the house is clean, dinner’s on the table and our holiday bucket list is getting somewhat checked off, I get all excited and want to proclaim to the world, “Look! I’m riding my bike and not falling off!” But everybody knows the second you think about how great you’re riding your bike is the second you crash. We make efforts to make sure December isn’t stressful, but as far as busy, full, crazy–I don’t mind it, especially because most of that fullness comes from special events and holiday rituals we love.

When it comes to meals in December, we do everything from take-out to big meals at the table while we entertain for the holidays. Last week, we had friends over and made an entire meal from hors d’oeuvres. The next night was macaroni and cheese for the kids, leftovers for us. In between all of this, it was really nice to have our Blue Apron meals land on our doorstep–farm-fresh ingredients and everything we needed for a chef-designed meal at home.

Our latest favorite was Seared Salmon & Sweet Potato Salad (full recipe here) which revolutionized the way I’ll use sweet potatoes in our home. Roasted! With rosemary! And tossed in a salad! I would have never thought of it, and it was delicious.

And I don’t why I continue to believe the lie that cooking fish is fancy and difficult and above my kitchen skills because I’m always proven wrong. This salmon took just minutes to make and with a simple blend of spices (fennel, coriander, cardamom and nutmeg), it was seasoned to perfection and so tasty.

If I had beautiful cheat sheets like this for every meal I attempted, I’d never leave my kitchen.

I’ve always just baked or mashed our sweet potatoes, but I loved them this way–sliced thin, strewn out on a pan, drizzled with olive oil, sprinkled with salt, pepper and fresh rosemary and roasted for 14-16 minutes on 450.

I could have eaten them just like that, but we mixed them with baby kale, dried cranberries and onions soaked in lemon juice, and it made a delicious salad with interesting flavors.

Preparing the crème fraîche…

A little seasoning and searing…

And there you have it, a gourmet meal enjoyed at the table with our family in the middle of all this holiday fun.

Look at us riding this bike!  We’re pedaling, we’re doin’ it!

Blue Apron offers a large selection of recipes and is always adding new dishes to their menu every week. Now that I have the salmon thing down, I’d like to kick up the spice with their Spiced Salmon and Cranberry Chutney.

And as always, Blue Apron makes eating good meals at home with the family easy and convenient. While we don’t do Blue Apron every week, it’s a splurge we love. We always enjoy our meals, the time spent preparing them together and learning new ways to cook in our kitchen.

You can also return your Blue Apron packaging to them for free via USPS, and they’ll recycle it for you.

The first 50 readers will get two free meals on their first Blue Apron order! Just click here!