Pesto Salmon En Croûte With Creamed Spinach (& Wine)

Preheat the oven to 220°C/ 200°C (fan)/ gas 7

Cut the potatoes (skins on) into bite-sized cubes

Add the cubed potatoes to a baking tray with a drizzle of vegetable oil and a pinch of salt and pepper and give everything a good mix up

Put the tray in the oven and cook for an initial 20 min or until starting to crisp

Heat a large, wide-based pan (preferably non-stick) with a drizzle of vegetable oil over a medium heat

Once hot, add the salmon fillets to the pan (skin-side down) with a pinch of salt and pepper and cook for 2 min on each side until sealed but not cooked through

Carefully peel the skin off the salmon and discard it, then cut the salmon fillets in half

Dust your work surface with a generous sprinkling of flour

Unwrap the puff pastry and roll it out to approx. 0.5cm thickness with a rolling pin and cut into 4 [8] squares

Place 2 salmon pieces side-by-side onto each piece of pastry and spoon most of the pesto over the salmon (save the rest for later!)

Brush a little milk around the edges of the salmon-topped pastry square

Top each salmon-topped pastry square with another pastry square and seal the open ends together by pressing the edges down with a fork

Add the parcels to a baking tray and brush the tops of them with milk

Sprinkle the parcels with the nigella seeds and put the tray in the oven for 20-25 minutes or until golden and cooked through – this is your pesto salmon en croûte

Whilst the salmon en croûte is cooking, peel and finely chop (or grate) the garlic

Once the potatoes are starting to crisp, remove them from the oven and add the chopped garlic

Give it a good mix up then return to the oven for 4-5 min or until the potatoes are golden and crispy

Melt 15g [30g] butter in a pot over a medium-low heat

Once melted, add 20g [40g] flour and stir with a wooden spoon for 1 min or until a sandy paste forms

Add 150ml [300ml] milk gradually and whisk for 2-3 min or until a smooth, thick sauce remains – this is your white sauce

Wash the spinach, then pat it dry with kitchen paper and chop roughly

Add the chopped spinach and remaining pesto to the white sauce and cook for 1-2 min further or until the spinach has wilted

Season with a generous pinch of salt and pepper – this is your creamed spinach