• Cuisine: American
• Course: Main Course

Ingredients:

• 1 tablespoon chopped rosemary
• 1 tablespoon basil, oregano or tarragon
• 1 tablespoon thyme
• 2 cloves garlic, finely chopped
• 2 scallions, both white and light-green parts, chopped
• 1 teaspoon kosher salt
• 1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
• 1 teaspoon sugar
• 2 tablespoons lemon juice (from 1 lemon)

• 2 medium red bliss potatoes, 1/4-inch-thick slices, parboiled 5 minutes
• 1 red bell pepper, seeded, cored and cut into julienne (very thin strips)
• 1 carrot, peeled and cut into julienne
• 1 zucchini, cut into julienne
• 1 yellow squash, cut into julienne
• 1 medium-size leek (dark green tops removed), cleaned of sand and julienned
• 1 (3/4 pound) skinless salmon fillet, sliced on the bias (like flank steak) into 8-inch-wide, 1/2-inch thick slices (any remaining pin bones should be removed)
• 1 large lemon, sliced into eight 1/4-inch slices
• Salt
• Freshly ground black pepper
• 2 tablespoons unsalted butter, cut into eighths
• Chopped flat-leaf parsley (optional)

Directions:

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees.

For the herb drizzle: Combine all the ingredients in a small bowl. Set aside.

For the packet: In a small bowl, toss the parboiled potatoes with 1 tablespoon of the herb drizzle. Set aside.

In a large bowl, toss the pieces of bell pepper, carrot, zucchini, squash and leek with two tablespoons of the herb drizzle. Set aside.

Place a 22-inch-long piece of aluminum foil on the counter. Line overlapping drizzled potato slices down the center, leaving a 4-inch border on each end and 2-inch borders on the sides. Top with remaining vegetables. Lay salmon slices over the julienned vegetables to cover them (from long side to long side of foil). The salmon slices should not quite touch each other. Spoon the remaining drizzle over the salmon slices. Place one lemon slice on top of each salmon slice. Sprinkle with salt and pepper to taste and dot each salmon slice with one bit of butter. Place a 24-inch piece of foil on the top and mold it over the packet ingredients. Starting with one of the long sides, fold the bottom foil edge a half-inch over the top foil edge and seal firmly with index finger. Make another 1/2-inch fold and seal firmly. Repeat until you reach the enclosed mound. Seal the other long side. Seal the ends in the same fashion. Place on a rimmed baking sheet pan and bake for 10 minutes. (The packet will puff up during baking.)

Transfer to a work surface and, being careful to avoid the escaping steam, use scissors to open a rectangle in the top of the packet. Carefully transfer the packet onto a plate, and, using a spatula, ease its contents onto the plate while pulling the foil away. Garnish with chopped parsley, if desired. Serve immediately.

*NOTE: Parboiling is partially cooking food by briefly boiling it in water. The process ensures that multiple ingredients of different densities will complete cooking at the same time.

Packets are perfect foils for home cooks who have either little time on their hands or remote controls in them. Here are some tips to keep in mind for foil-packet cooking:

* Mold the top piece of foil closely to the ingredients to make the packet as airtight as possible.

* Do not let the packet contents poke holes in the foil. Heavy-duty foil is less likely to be breached.

* Make sure the seals are tight. With each folding of the foil, press the crease firmly with the index finger. Make at least three folds so the seals can withstand the pressure of the steam within the packets.

* If ingredient substitutions are made, make sure everything in the assembled packet will cook to doneness at the same rate of speed. (This is why the sweet potatoes and carrots in the tagine and the new potatoes in the salmon packet are parboiled ahead of time.)

* Take care when opening the packets to avoid getting burned from steam. Use scissors to cut out an initial rectangle just inside the perimeter of the folds.

Recipe Source:

Adapted from chef and former restaurateur David Hagedorn.

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