Smoked Salmon, Yorkshire Pud, Beets and Asparagus

Meal 15 - Feb 12th - Smoked Salmon, Yorkshire Pud, Beets and Asparagus

After another 15 minute meal-less weekend (Lolz and I ventured to Norfolk to watch the bore-fest that was Norwich 0 Fulham 0) I was eager to get back in the kitchen and resume normal 15 minute meal service. Being Shrove Tuesday, we cunningly chose this meal knowing that a little extra batter could be used for some pancakes for dessert. Much like last weeks Chicken Dim Sum however, I couldn't help but think, looking at the recipe, that this meal is a bit style over substance and ordinarily not something I would be looking to cook on a Tuesday evening, let alone after a swift 5k run. It did however offer an opportunity to use the brand new Le Creuset 28 cm frying pan which I had purchased with this recipe in mind - Jamie had been very specific about the need for a 28 cm pan if the Yorkshire Pudding was going to work and who am I to doubt him?

Anyway, after whipping up the batter and getting the Yorkshire in the oven, it didn't take long to prep the asparagus and beetroot salad and I found myself with nothing to do but look through the oven door waiting for the Yorkshire to rise. This is without doubt the easiest 15 minute meal I have cooked so far - "cooked" is actually a slight exaggeration as there is very little work to do. My Yorkshire pudding did end up a little bit floppy round the sides (to be honest I have no idea how Jamie achieves the little peaks and ridges that you can see in the picture in the book and on the TV show) - although in my defence, Yorkshire pudding responsibilities normally fall to Lolz when we are doing a roast - whilst I also inexcusably forgot to buy natural yoghurt for the horseradish sauce.

The end result was actually a pleasant surprise. Although not particularly filling, the Yorkshire pudding, salmon and beetroot salad go really well together, especially with a little dollop of Horseradish to go with it. The asparagus was a bit too lemony for my tastes, although it does pad out the meal a bit. Lolz took charge of making pancakes with the left over batter, and did an excellent job, not dropping a single one! She went for lemon and sugar, I went for banana and nutella if you're interested. Yum.

Lolz gave the dish 8/10. Difficulty rating 2/10 - maybe there's a trick for perfecting the Yorkshire pud?