Salmon in Potato Pillows

So I forgot to take a picture. So sue me. But these things are SO good, and easy to make. Here's my story of how I discovered them: It was a rare snowy evening in Seattle, and I was between Netflix arrivals. The only thing I had left to watch (I have no cable) was a video tape of a chef from Kaspar's, making a couple of dishes. I acquired this when my sister moved to LA last year and gave out all her junk as Christmas "presents." I do like watching food shows, so in went the video. Kaspar's is a great restaurant in Seattle. The chef is this funny German man, who has really taken to cooking Pacific Northwest specialties. He served the Salmon in Potato Pillows with a Merlot Reduction Aioli, Crab Hash Cakes, creamy mushroom soup in little pie dishes topped with puffed pasty, and this fabulous apple desert thingy - YUM. I only had ingredients for the Salmon. Here's how it went.

Ingredients: 1 potato, 1 lb of salmon, olive oil, basil leaves.

1. Grate a potato into thin strings with a Mandolin or a food processor with the grating attachment. Do not rinse, but do season with salt and pepper.
2. Put 2 Tablespoons of olive oil in a small pan.
3. Put 1/4th of the potato strings in the pan. Top with 2 large fresh leaves of Basil.
4. Then nestle a 1/2 lb Salmon filet on top (I got the frozen stuff from Trader Joe's which thaws nicely on a warm water bath).
5. Cover the Salmon with another 1/4th of the potato strings, so you have a little pillow.
6. Cook about 7 minutes on each side and VOILA!
7. Then do one more for a dinner for 2. Keep the first one warm in the oven.

I served this with endives simmered in white wine and vegetable broth, a salad that included beets and apples, and Night Harvest Cabernet from R.H. Phillips. Delish! It all felt very satisfying and healthy, until the Boyfriend wanted some home made chocolate chip cookies. But that's another story.